Andy Murray will kick off his grass-court campaign at the Nottingham Open next month. The former World No. 1 has added the ATP Challenger Tour event, which will be played at the Nottingham Tennis Centre from June 5-13, to his summer schedule.
The three-time Grand Slam champion is also due to play at the cinch Championships at Queen’s Club, beginning on June 14, before Wimbledon, beginning on June 28.
Also set to compete in Nottingham are former Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson and Britain’s Liam Broady.
This is in addition to last week’s news that Ten-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams heads a strong entry list for this year’s Nottingham Open – the first of the returning LTA summer grass court events.
Venus Williams (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images for LTA)
Williams is joined by 2017 champion Donna Vekic, two-time finalist Johanna Konta and British No.2 Heather Watson on the entry list for the WTA 250 level tournament that takes place 5-13 June at the Nottingham Tennis Centre.
Konta and Vekic are two of 13 players in the WTA Top 50 to have entered the competition – a list that also includes Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, American Alison Riske and Swiss world No.11 Belinda Bencic.
This year, the LTA has increased the singles main draw to 48, providing 16 additional main draw playing opportunities. Up to five wildcards are also available and will be announced in the coming weeks.
Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion, will be playing the tournament for the first time. She reached the quarter final of the LTA’s Birmingham Classic event in 2019, losing out to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty. She also partnered Britain’s Harriet Dart in the doubles competition.
This will be Konta’s fifth appearance at the Nottingham Open and she will be hoping to go one better than runner-up finishes in both 2017 and 2018. Watson will also be playing the tournament for the fifth time.
Rebecca James, LTA Tournament Director for the Nottingham Open, said: “The Nottingham Open marks the much anticipated return of our summer grass court season, and to have such big names on the entry list for the WTA event just adds to that excitement. Even though all our events will look different this year, we are delighted to be bringing world class tennis back to Nottingham and are looking forward to starting the 2021 grass court season with a bang.”
Cllr Eunice Campbell Clark, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Schools at Nottingham City Council said: “We are very excited to welcome back tennis to the city, particularly with such a high calibre line up. Our grounds team and centre staff at Nottingham Tennis Centre have done a wonderful job of keeping the courts in the best condition throughout the year and we look forward to seeing world class players once again gracing this wonderful facility. I’m sure they will thoroughly enjoy their stay in Nottingham and we look forward to welcoming them in June.”
This year’s tournament is expected to operate at approximately 25% supporter capacity due to Government rules on social distancing and restrictions on the number of supporters at sporting events. The LTA has made free tickets available to key workers for each day of the tournament. These will be provided to contacts at key worker organisations local to the Nottingham Open.
Entries for the concurrent ATP Challenger 125 event at the Nottingham Open will be announced in due course.
For more information on how to purchase tickets for the Nottingham Open visit www.lta.org.uk/major-tennis-events/british-major-events/nottingham-open/tickets.