The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is delighted to announce that Agnieszka Radwanska will begin her grass court season at the Aegon Open Nottingham in June. The Polish star is a strong performer on grass having won the Eastbourne International in 2008 by beating Nadia Petrova and finishing runner up to Serena Williams in a three-set Wimbledon final in 2012. Known for her exciting and entertaining style of tennis, Radwanska has been ranked as high as No.2 in the world.
Among the names joining Radwanska at the Nottingham Tennis Centre are British No.1 Heather Watson, 2013 Aegon Classic Birmingham winner Daniela Hantuchova and Grand Slam winner Francesca Schiavone.
Radwanska said: “I am excited to be making my debut in Nottingham this year and am really looking forward to the event. My best results in my career have come on grass in Great Britain and I remember very fondly winning Eastbourne seven years ago and reaching the Wimbledon final in 2012. It is very special to be a part of this brand new tournament in its first year and hopefully this will be exactly the preparation I need going into Wimbledon.”
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 very 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 very best grass-courts in the country.
The Aegon Open Nottingham (WTA) Tournament Director, Rebecca James, said: “We are delighted to welcome a player of Agnieszka’s calibre to the inaugural Aegon Open Nottingham. Her presence further strengthens our already exciting main draw line-up and it will be a real treat for fans to see the former world No.2 and Wimbledon finalist in Nottingham. She is one of the most engaging characters off court and consistently a fan favourite with her unique brand of shot making. We are very excited to get the event started and look forward to some world class tennis during the week.”
David Macmillan, Chief Marketing Officer at Aegon, said: “Agnieszka is a fantastic addition to what is already a very strong line-up. She’s known as an exciting player to watch and tennis fans will no doubt look forward to seeing her in action at the Aegon Open Nottingham.”
World No.20 Peng Shuai of China has been forced to pull out of the event after suffering a lower back injury at the French Open.
Tickets to the Aegon Open Nottingham are still available. Tickets start from just £15 for an adult and £5 for a child.
For more information and to purchase tickets please visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/tennis