The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has confirmed today that Denis Istomin will return to Nottingham to defend his Aegon Open (ATP) title in June, joining a field that also includes last year’s semi-finalist Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Istomin, 29, got past Marcos Baghdatis on the way to claiming his first ATP World Tour honour in 2015, while 27-year-old Dolgopolov, the Ukrainian former world No. 13, was overcome in the last four by eventual beaten finalist Sam Querrey.
The pair are the latest to add their names to a line-up that includes British Davis Cup stars Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans and James Ward.
The Aegon Open Nottingham will see two tournaments take place in June, the men’s ATP event taking place from 18-25 June 2016, and the women’s WTA event being staged from 4-12 June 2016. Both tournaments will be an integral part of the British grass-court season, which features 11 international grass-court tournaments in eight venues across the country.
Speaking on the announcement, Uzbekistan’s Istomin said: “I’m looking forward to returning to Nottingham to defend my Aegon Open title, which I know is going to be difficult in a field made up of world-class players, including some British favourites. For obvious reasons the city and tournament is special to me and this year I’m determined to add to the happy memories I created in 2015.”
Speaking on the announcement, world No. 29 Dolgopolov said: “I’m really looking forward to getting on grass at the Nottingham Tennis Centre again to complete my preparations for Wimbledon, where I hope to do well. The grass-court season is such a short and special time of year that it makes every opportunity to play and every event on grass a key part of your Grand Slam plan – Nottingham, for me, will play a big part in that.”
The Aegon Open Nottingham (ATP) Tournament Director, Paul Hutchins, said: “Alex is someone we are thrilled to welcome back as he is such a colourful character and has a fast and furious game, complemented by the quickest serve action on the circuit, in my opinion.
“In 2015 he lost a tight semi-final to Sam Querrey in Nottingham and this year he could go even further in a field that we are delighted to say includes defending champion Denis Istomin.
“After Denis showed great form to break through for his maiden ATP Tour title win 12 months ago, it will be exciting to see what he can produce again this year.”
Tara McGregor-Woodhams, Head of Brand and Sponsorship Aegon UK, commented: “The Aegon Open Nottingham was a fantastic addition to the grass court calendar last year and we are delighted to welcome many stars from the ATP World Tour to the city to begin their grass court preparations.”
Fans can watch action at the Aegon Open Nottingham for as little as £5. Please visit the tournament website for more details.
Please visit the LTA website for information on the hospitality packages on offer at The Aegon Open Nottingham or contact: Elliot Sheasby on aegonopen@lta.org.uk