The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has confirmed today that British pair Johanna Konta and Katy Dunne have been awarded wildcards to enter the main draw for the Aegon Open Nottingham. Konta, the British No.2, and rising star Dunne will play on the grass courts of the Nottingham Tennis Centre as part of their preparations for The Championships, Wimbledon.
Konta, 24, broke into the world’s top 100 last year and reached the second round at Eastbourne. She returns to Nottingham having made it to the last four at the Aegon Trophy in 2013.
Dunne, 20, has three ITF singles titles to her name and recorded her best result on her WTA tour debut when she beat second seed Timea Babos at the 2014 Aegon Classic at Birmingham. Hemel Hempstead-born Dunne registered her first win over a top-100 player when she got the better of seventh seed Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at last year’s Aegon Trophy.
Speaking following the announcement, Konta said: “It’s great to be back in Nottingham to kick off my grass court season. This is always a special time of year, and playing in front home fans is an amazing feeling. I have had some good performances here in Nottingham and hope to do well again this year. The facilities and the courts look fantastic and I hope the fans come out and enjoy the tournament.”
Meanwhile, British number one Heather Watson has been forced to pull out of the tournament with an elbow injury.
The world No.40 said: “Unfortunately I won’t be able to compete in Nottingham this year. I was really looking forward to starting my grass season there but the doctors have advised that I continue to rest my elbow. I will be doing everything in my power to make sure I return as soon as possible because I love the British summer grass and playing at home.”
The Aegon Open Nottingham will see two tournaments take place in June, the women’s WTA event taking place from 6-14 June 2015, and the men’s ATP event being staged from 20-27 June 2015. Both tournaments will be an integral part of the new British grass court season, which in 2015 will see a three week window between Roland Garros and Wimbledon for the first time. The extended grass court season will enable some of the world’s elite players extra time to find their feet on grass and make the most of the best grass-courts in the country.
Tickets to the Aegon Open Nottingham are on sale now. Tickets start from just £15 for an adult and £5 for a child.
For more information and to purchase tickets please visit www.lta.org.uk/aegonopennottingham