The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) announced today that British No. 1 Johanna Konta has confirmed her intention to play the 2017 Aegon Open Nottingham, as tickets for the event, from 10- 18 June, go on sale.
Konta, the World No. 10 and 2016 Australian Open semi-finalist, is a popular and well-known star at the Nottingham Tennis Centre, having played at the venue in lead up to The Championships, Wimbledon for the past five years.
In 2015 she reached the quarter-final of the Aegon Open Nottingham and a year later she celebrated breaking into the top 20 for the first time with victory on the East Midlands grass.
Last year the 25-year-old, who headlines a strong Aegon GB Fed Cup team for next week’s tie in Estonia, went on to become the first British woman to break into the top 10 of the world rankings in since 1984.
Konta, who will go on to play at the Aegon Classic Birmingham and Aegon International Eastbourne after Nottingham, said : “The tournament in Nottingham is very well supported and I always enjoy my time there. Nottingham’s a fun city to explore and with both women’s and men’s tournaments in the same week, the Nottingham fans will have a great time supporting what could be an exciting festival of tennis.
“I am excited to be playing these three tournaments, especially in front of the home crowds again. The grass court season is one of my favourites and this series of tournaments ahead of Wimbledon provides great preparation opportunities for me.
“Playing in front of a passionate crowd that is fully behind you is a special experience that not many players get: I know how lucky I am to be able to do that. The home fans really can make all the difference so I hope lots of people come out to cheer!
“These tournament have such an incredible history, you just need to look at the roll of honour to see that, and you can sense that when you step on court. With the recent commitment to a bigger and better series hopefully this great tradition will continue for many years to come.”
The British No. 1 has started 2017 in fine form as well, collecting the second WTA title of her career, triumphing in the Sydney International in January before going on to reach the quarter-final of the Australian Open, where she was beaten by Serena Williams who went on to collect an unparalleled 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
And in celebration of this recent inspirational success, the LTA has named Johanna as an official ambassador for British Tennis..
Rebecca James, the Aegon Open Nottingham Tournament Director, is delighted that Konta is the first name confirmed for the new look week-long tournament, which for the first time will be staged alongside a men’s $150k ATP Challenger Tour event, thereby providing fans with an action-packed week of world class men’s and women’s tennis.
James said: “It is thrilling that Johanna is showing an early commitment to the event, which is testament to the excellent experience we are able to give players and the growing reputation of the event and its player field year on year.”
“Johanna is enjoying great success and it will be exciting for the fans to see her return to Nottingham as a top 10 player as we look ahead to another fantastic event at the Nottingham Tennis Centre this June.”
Fans can watch action at the Aegon Open Nottingham for as little as £5. Go to www.lta.org.uk/2017tickets for more details.
The Aegon Open Nottingham will see two tournaments take place between June 10 and 18, a WTA event and a men’s $150,000 ATP Challenger Tour event. 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.
Cllr Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture said: “We are proud to welcome the Aegon Open back to the city this year, with an exciting new tournament format encompassing men’s and women’s competition. It is fantastic that our facilities can attract world class players like Johanna Konta who has again chosen Nottingham as one of the cities she prefers to play at, pre-Wimbledon. I look forward to some great tennis action in June.”
And there is still time to get involved in the tournament yourself as a volunteer, go to www.lta.org.uk/majoreventvolunteers for more information and application details.
For information on the hospitality packages on offer at The Aegon Open Nottingham head to https://www.lta.org.uk/major-events/aegon-open-nottingham/nottingham-hospitality/ or contact Elliot Sheasby on aegonopen@lta.org.uk