Former world No.5 Daniela Hantuchova will be joining British No. 1 Heather Watson at the brand new Aegon Open Nottingham tournament in June, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has confirmed. The Slovakian former Wimbledon singles quarter-finalist, has won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles as well as the Aegon Classic Birmingham tournament in 2013.
She is looking to become the first woman to reach the finals at Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne. In 2004 Hantuchova was the runner up to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Eastbourne final.
The Aegon Open Nottingham will see two tournaments take place in June, the women’s WTA event taking place from 6-14June 2015, and the men’s ATP event being staged from 20-28 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 very best players extra time to find their feet on grass and make the most of the very best grass-courts in the country.
Speaking on her announcement Hantuchova said: “I am delighted to be playing the Aegon Open Nottingham this year. I am always excited to play new venues and I have heard that the courts are great there.”
Adding her thoughts on returning to grass court tennis she added: “I love playing in Britain, I won in Birmingham in 2013 and the fans showed me great support. Grass is one of my favourite surfaces and the tournaments are a great way to prepare for Wimbledon.”
The Aegon Open Nottingham (WTA) Tournament Director, Rebecca James, said: “We are delighted that Daniela has chosen to play the Aegon Open Nottingham as part of her preparations for Wimbledon. She brings a great grass court pedigree to the tournament and will bolster what will be a great player field. I hope the crowds will come out and support her and the other world class players that we hope to announce soon.”
David Macmillan, Chief Marketing Officer at Aegon said: “It is great news for the Aegon Open Nottingham that Daniela has chosen the event as part of her build up to Wimbledon. Her title at the Aegon Classic Birmingham in 2013 marked her as a real contender on grass. She joins British No. 1 Heather Watson in what will be a very strong player field for the event and we look forward to cheering her on in June.”
Tickets to the Aegon Open Nottingham are on sale now. An early bird discount will apply to all adult tickets bought before 28 April. Customers purchasing before 28 April save £5 on all adult tickets.
Tickets start from just £10 for an adult and £5 for a child / student in the early bird window. At full price, 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
For more information on Daniela Hantuchova click here