British Davis and Fed Cup players flock to Nottingham
23rd May 2013
Paul Hutchins previews the Nottingham Festival of Tennis where local interest in the Aegon Trophy (1-9 June) is high with a strong contingent of British Davis and Fed Cup players keen to start their grass court campaigns at the Nottingham Tennis Centre.
Local interest in the Aegon Trophy (1-9 June) will be high with a strong contingent of British Davis and Fed Cup players keen to start their grass court campaigns at the Nottingham Tennis Centre.
James Ward and Dan Evans, who helped the Aegon GB Davis Cup Team clinch an historic win over Russia in their Euro/Africa Group I tie in Coventry recently, will return to the Midlands for the event which marks the build-up to The Championships, Wimbledon.
Entry to both the Aegon Trophy and Aegon Challenge is free for all spectators, and in the women’s singles event, the Fed Cup trio of Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong and Johanna Konta, who were part of the Aegon GB Fed Cup team that was beaten by Argentina in the World Group II play-offs in Buenos Aires, have all entered.
All Britons will either have to play qualifying or receive wild card entry to the main draw starting June 3.
Paul Hutchins, the Aegon Trophy Tournament Director, said: “It is always good to have British and Fed Cup player competing in Nottingham, and this year we have very strong interest from those who have represented GB in recent weeks.
“Dan Evans and James Ward will both be anxious to impress the Wimbledon wild card selectors as playing at The Championships is every players’ ambition.
“In the women’s singles event we have some very experience players on Nottingham grass with Baltacha winning the Aegon Challenge in 2011 and Keothavong reaching the semi-finals of the 2012 Aegon Trophy.”
Baltacha makes no secret of her love for the grass court and is relishing a return to the Nottingham Tennis Centre where she first picked the Aegon Trophy in 2010 before following it up with the Challenge title 12 months later.
“I’ve always enjoyed performing in Nottingham, I just love how the grass courts play there and the atmosphere is always brilliant.
“I’m excited to return to play in the Aegon Trophy because it is just a fantastic way to start the grass court season.”
The men’s and women’s Aegon Trophy, commencing on Monday June 3 (qualifying 1 & 2 June), is the first of back-to-back events making up the Nottingham Festival of Tennis, with the Aegon Nottingham Challenge finishing on Sunday June 16.