The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced a new partnership with the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) that will open up the sport to more people across London.

The new three-year collaboration will see a £500,000 investment from the Mayor and the LTA into Rally Together London, a programme which will train 250 people from under-represented backgrounds to join the tennis workforce and facilitate sessions for local communities, with a minimum of 50% to be female.

The programme will help at least 5,500 more young people to play the sport, with a particular focus on disadvantaged boroughs. This capitalises on the return this year of women’s tennis to the Queen’s Club as part of the HSBC Championships, and will help open up access to the sport across the whole city.

Rally Together London will recruit, train and deploy 200 tennis activators to deliver the sport.[1] These activators will help grow the LTA’s Barclays Free Park Tennis programme [2] which offers free, weekly sessions with equipment provided on public park courts, and LTA SERVES[3] which takes tennis to the heart of local communities for young people who may never otherwise have played.

Through the partnership, a cohort of 50 new tennis coaches will be supported to achieve their LTA Assistant (Level 1) and Instructor (Level 2) qualifications[5] to help grow participation in parks and community venues, and create employment opportunities, again with a particular focus on growing the number of female coaches in the sport.

The wider partnership will see the Mayor and LTA work together on various initiatives and campaigns to promote women’s tennis and women’s sport across the capital, such as the recent launch of the HSBC Championships with a pop-up tennis court on the city’s iconic Trafalgar Square. The announcement comes as a women’s tennis tournament returns to the iconic Queen’s Club for the first time in more than 50 years, with the HSBC Championships 2025 [4] running through to 15 June.

Many of the world’s best women’s tennis players are competing in West London, including Britain’s own 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and British No.1 Katie Boulter.

They are joined by global stars including reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Paris 2024 Olympic Champion Qinwen Zheng. The line up also features former Wimbledon champions in Petra Kvitova and Elena Rybakina.

The Mayor has declared London the undisputed global capital for women’s sport in 2025 [6]. In addition to the HSBC Championships, the capital is also set to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham Stadium, which will have a world-record attendance for a standalone women’s rugby XV’s event, as well as football, basketball, rugby league, hockey, cricket, netball, athletics and triathlon.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am delighted to be partnering with the LTA to deliver tennis to thousands of Londoners in areas that have previously had limited opportunity to play the sport.

“The really exciting aspect of this partnership is that we will be reaching young people across the capital and specifically young women, as we create new opportunities for them play tennis and to join the tennis workforce.

“I am delighted we are announcing this new partnership as women’s tennis returns to the iconic Queen’s Club for the first time in more than 50 years, with world’s best players competing in our city at the HSBC Championships.

“London is the undisputed global capital for women’s sport in 2025 and I am determined to bring even more sporting events to our city as we continue working to build a better, healthier, more prosperous London for all.”

LTA Chief Executive, Scott Lloyd, said: “As women’s tennis returns to the Queen’s Club, this partnership with the Mayor of London will make a significant difference in opening access to our sport for communities across the whole of London.

“We know that London is a tennis city, with iconic events like the HSBC Championships engaging and inspiring the next generation to pick up a racket and play on accessible community facilities, including park courts in every London Borough.

“This partnership will help open up tennis and its benefits to even more people, by growing the number of LTA activators and coaches and ensure that the tennis workforce is reflective of the diversity of the capital.

“In particular, we are excited by the opportunity to grow the female tennis workforce, which will in turn help provide opportunities for more women and girls to pick up a racket and play.”

Naomi, an LTA SERVES Activator from Badu Sports based in East London said “Tennis is an amazing sport, and I’ve seen the impact that it can deliver for young people in London first-hand, helping them get active, developing skills and confidence.

“It’s great that this new partnership between the LTA and Mayor of London will help give more young people across the city access to the sport — particularly as tennis has historically not been fully inclusive or accessible to underrepresented groups.”

“Not only is tennis a great sport to play, but it can also help young people to develop their skills as a volunteer or coach, and even be an opportunity for paid employment.

“I hope that as a result of this new partnership we will see more women and girls getting into tennis.”

With thanks to the LTA

Ahead of the 2025 summer grass court season, the LTA has joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower (the Sunflower) to make its events more accessible to people with non-visible disabilities.

Sunflower wristband and lanyard (Photo: Neil Juggins/Hidden Disabilities Sunflower)

In joining with the Sunflower, the LTA is ensuring that all staff and volunteers working across the Lexus Birmingham Open, Lexus Ilkley Open, Lexus Nottingham Open, Lexus Eastbourne Open, and the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club have received training to recognise the Sunflower symbol, and that those wearing the symbol may need additional support. Across the LTA’s major events, there will also be information at ground entry points, event information points, and sensory rooms on-site to raise awareness of the Sunflower and non-visible disabilities.

Set up in 2016, the Sunflower is a global symbol that enables individuals with non-visible disabilities, conditions, and chronic illnesses to indicate they may need additional support, understanding, or time, whether that be at the shops, at work or even attending grass-court tennis tournaments.

Joining the Sunflower builds on the LTA’s most accessible grass-court season to date in 2024, where significant improvements were made to the accessibility for disabled fans:

• Disability awareness training was carried out with all members of staff working at our major events, including volunteers
• Sensory bags were available to fans, containing ear defenders, ear plugs, sunglasses and fidget toys, alongside use of a quiet room to reduce sensory overload for neurodiverse fans
• At last year’s edition of the HSBC Championships, big screen messages had British Sign Language translations thanks to a partnership with Signapse and hearing induction loops were available.
• Action Audio was also available for all semis and finals matches through a partnership between the LTA, BBC & AKQA, supported by RNIB and British Blind Sport through their Sport England funded programme ‘See Sport Differently’.

Sam Herd, Head of Event Planning and Delivery at the LTA, said, “We’re proud to be able to join with the Sunflower to make British tennis events more accessible to those with non-visible disabilities. We want everyone, non-disabled people or disabled people, with visible or invisible disabilities, to feel like they can experience tennis, and working with Sunflower, we want to make positive change for those people living with hidden disabilities and those who support them.”

Ruth Rabét, Global Business Director at Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, said, “We are delighted that LTA has become a member of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower and is using the resources and Sunflower training as an effective tool to complement the excellent disability inclusion initiatives already launched.

Players, visitors, and colleagues who choose to wear the Sunflower can feel reassured that LTA staff and volunteers will offer help, extra time, and understanding during their visit to any LTA events this summer.”

With thanks to the LTA

FAGE’s partnership with the LTA, as well as being the official yoghurt partner for the LTA and its major events at the Lexus Birmingham Open, Lexus Nottingham Open, HSBC Championships and the Lexus Eastbourne Open, will see the brand become a lead partner of the LTA Youth programme, the LTA’s youth pathway designed to help more children enjoy the benefits of playing and staying in tennis, whatever their age, gender, ability, disability or background.

In addition to helping drive youth participation, FAGE becomes an Official Supporter of LTA Women and Girls, and a supporter of the LTA’s She Rallies programme to help drive female participation in tennis.

To mark the start of the partnership, FAGE are giving grassroots tennis venues the chance to experience world class tennis at the 2025 HSBC Championships, with tickets being given to clubs and venues who have done exceptional work to grow junior participation. The FAGE yoghurt station will also feature at the HSBC Championships, giving spectators the chance to sample the product and a selection of toppings for themselves.

The partnership builds on FAGE’s existing presence in tennis, having partnered with the US Open in 2024 as the event’s official yoghurt provider.

Andrea Di Martino, Marketing Director at FAGE, said, “Here at FAGE we are always looking for opportunities to be relevant and close to our consumers and to attract new ones, through the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Tennis in particular is a great fit for our brand as we both stand on strong dedication and passion for excellence, and as our commitment to tennis grows in our markets, it was natural to speak to the LTA as we see this as a long-term strategic partnership.”

“This partnership goes well beyond just brand visibility, being a leading partner of LTA Youth and supporter of LTA Women and Girls, and we look forward to working in collaboration with the LTA to develop new projects in the future.”

Chris Pollard, Managing Director of Commercial and Operations at the LTA, said, “FAGE’s commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle makes them the perfect partner to support our LTA Youth and Women & Girls programmes. We’re delighted to welcome them as the LTA’s Official Yoghurt Partner and look forward to working together to continue to grow kids’ tennis in Britain and get more women and girls playing the sport more often.”

With thanks to the LTA

The squad will represent Great Britain across all four events contested annually at the International Tennis Federation’s flagship wheelchair tennis event, which is the wheelchair equivalent of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. The team line-up is as follows:

Men – Captain Alex Cockram

• Ben Bartram
• Dahnon Ward
• Andrew Penney

Women – Captain Marc McCarroll

• Lucy Shuker
• Cornelia Oosthuizen
• Ruby Bishop

Quads – Captain Martyn Whait

• Andy Lapthorne
• Greg Slade
• Gary Cox

Juniors – Captain Imran Aswat

• Ruben Harris
• Lucas de Gouveia
• Matthew Knoesen
• Will Barton

Team Leader: Erik Koers

Great Britain’s long history of success in the World Team Cup included a first in 2023, when the men’s and junior teams lifted titles in the same year for the first time, while Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid spearheaded a team that also included Ben Bartram and Dahnon Ward to retain the men’s title in 2024.

With Hewett and Reid not available at the start of a new Paralympic cycle, Bartram, Ward and Andrew Penney take over the senior team roles in Turkey as they target another medal position, all three having graduated from medal-winning junior teams of recent years.

Seven-time World Team Cup medallist and British No.1 Lucy Shuker will contest her 15th World Team Cup in the women’s event. Joining Shuker will be fellow 2019 bronze medallist Cornelia Oosthuizen and Ruby Bishop, who makes her third appearance for the Great Britain women’s team.

Meanwhile, Paris 2024 Paralympic quad doubles silver medallists Andy Lapthorne and Greg Slade headline the team selected for the quad event alongside Gary Cox, who earned his LTA Colour Holder status after his first World Team Cup selection in 2023.

Current LTA Junior Wheelchair Tennis Player of the Year Ruben Harris, among those celebrated last week at the LTA Tennis Awards presented by Lexus, joins three of the LTA’s National Age Group Wheelchair Programme players, Will Barton, Lucas de Gouveia and Matthew Knoesen, in the junior team.

Speaking ahead of the event, Erik Koers, Head of the LTA’s Wheelchair Performance Pathway, said: “We’re delighted to be able to announce a Lexus GB World Team Cup team for this year that is rich in experience, youth and potential for the years ahead as we remain as one of just four wheelchair tennis nations competing in all four men’s, women’s, quad and junior events.

“As we are now in the first year of another Paralympic cycle it is an exciting time to have three of our younger players stepping up to lead this year’s men’s team after Ben and Dahnon have played integral roles alongside Alfie and Gordon in our gold medal-winning teams of the last two years. All four GB teams have the potential to be in medal contention in Turkey as we look to reinforce Great Britain’s position as a leading wheelchair nation and inspire more young people to take up our wonderful sport and aspire to join our wheelchair performance pathway.”

For daily news throughout the event, head to www.lta.org.uk or keep up to date with all the action on X @the_LTA or @WChairTennisGB.

To find out more about the LTA’s work with disability tennis, head to www.lta.org.uk/play or email disabilitytennis@lta.org.uk.

With thanks to the LTA

The LTA has announced that the current Australian Open champion Madison Keys, British number one, Katie Boulter, and former US Open winner Emma Raducanu are also set to compete at the historic HSBC Championships this June, joining global star Naomi Osaka as well as last year’s Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina as the first five players to commit to the event.

After an absence of more than half a century, women’s professional tennis will be returning to The Queen’s Club in the form of a WTA 500 event, which promises to showcase top-class women’s tennis at one of the most iconic venues in the country. The HSBC Championships is the highest level of tournament in Great Britain outside of The Championships at Wimbledon.

American Madison Keys stunned the tennis world recently, winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open, as well as reaching a new career-best ranking of number six. Keys has had past success on the British grass courts, winning the Eastbourne tournament on two occasions, 2014 and 2023, as well as the WTA event in Birmingham in 2016.

“I can’t wait for the HSBC Championships,” said Keys. “Getting to compete there for the first time and experience playing at The Queen’s Club is going to be such a special occasion. I love the grass court season, some of my favourite memories of my career have come when I won titles in Birmingham and Eastbourne.

Katie Boulter, Britain’s highest ranked women’s player since June 2023, is setting her sights on her third grass court title on home soil after an impressive 2024, where she won two WTA titles, one at her home tournament in Nottingham, and saw her ranking rise to a career-high of No.23.

“I used to watch the tournament every year growing up so to be able to compete at such a wonderful, historic, and iconic event to commence the grass court season is an honour,” Boulter said. “We have some of the best women’s players in the world competing at Queens, and it takes the British grass court swing to a whole new level. To win that title as a British player would an absolute dream and I will do everything I can to get myself in that position. Let’s make more history this summer.”

Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open Champion and former world number 10 will be joining Boulter on the grass at the HSBC Championships. Raducanu enjoyed a strong return from injury on home soil last year, with deep runs to the semifinals at Nottingham and quarter finals at Eastbourne before reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon.

Laura Robson, WTA HSBC Championships Tournament Director said: “I’m thrilled to confirm Katie, Emma, Madison and Naomi will be headlining the HSBC Championships in June.  Fans will see some of the best female players on the planet, and with three grand slam champions and the British number one in the mix, it promises to be a spectacular return to The Queen’s Club for women’s tennis.”

This year’s HSBC Championships sees a brand-new concept of 16 days of world class tennis at The Queen’s Club, starting with the WTA 500 event on June 7th, a week before the long-standing men’s ATP event which has been such a staple of the pre-Wimbledon grass court season. The new grass court calendar introduced for 2025 is intended to maximise visibility for tennis, while expanding the reach and profile of women’s tennis. For the first time, every tournament venue will feature both male and female events.

A marketing campaign for the WTA 500 event has been released today featuring Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka and can be watched here.

Tickets for the women’s WTA 500 event at The Queen’s Club are now on general sale via the LTA website and can be purchased from just £20.

Tickets for the other LTA grass court events at Birmingham, Ilkely, Nottingham, and Eastbourne are now on sale to LTA Advantage members and will go on general sale on 23^rd February.

With thanks to the LTA

The LTA have today announced that Laura Robson has been appointed as the Tournament Director of the new Women’s WTA 500 event at The Queen’s Club in London.

The former British No 1 and Olympic Silver medallist will take the reins of the new event, which will bring women’s tour level tennis back to London for the first time in over 50 years.

Laura was previously Tournament Director of the Nottingham Open WTA 250 / ATP Challenger Event, taking up the post in 2023 as part of the LTA’s work with former players who wish to move into other tennis roles after their retirement.

Another player working on LTA events is Jamie Murray, who will return in his role as Tournament Director of the ATP 500 event at the Queen’s Club.

Following Laura’s appointment, Amy Hitchinson has been chosen as the new Tournament Director at Nottingham, having undertaken the same role at Birmingham in 2024, which means that over 70% of LTA grass court major events will have female tournament directors.

Rebecca James, Rik Smith and Kirsty Thomson will continue in their Tournament Director roles at the LTA’s events in Eastbourne, Ilkley and Roehampton respectively, with Kirsty also taking on the new combined event at Birmingham.

Hospitality for the women’s WTA 500 event at The Queen’s Club is now on sale. Hospitality packages can be purchased via the LTA’s partner Keith Prowse at www.keithprowse.co.uk  General admission tickets for the women’s event will go on sale early in 2025.

Tickets for the ATP 500 event at The Queen’s Club are now on sale to LTA Advantage Members via the LTA website and go on general sale on 28^th November 2024.

Laura Robson said: “I’m delighted to be taking up this role next summer. It’s very exciting that women’s tennis is returning to the Queen’s Club for the first time in over 50 years. It’s an iconic venue and has been voted Tournament of the Year by the men many times. I’m confident that the women’s event will be just as thrilling and I can’t wait to get started.”

Chris Pollard, the LTA’s Managing Director, Commercial and Operations, said “Laura did a fantastic job at Nottingham and received a lot of plaudits from the players. We’re very pleased she will now be taking on this important role at Queens next year.  We have worked hard to ensure British players such as Laura and Jamie can continue to use their knowledge and experience for the benefit of the game in this country, and it’s great news they will both be part of our experienced cohort of Tournament Directors.”

With thanks to the LTA

The collaboration focuses on enhancing tennis development at all levels, with an emphasis on coaching, product innovation and player progression.

The partnership will integrate four of Team Bath Tennis’ leading coaches into the ASICS Tennis Academy. Tom Osborne (Head of Club Tennis), Ian MacDonald (Head of Performance), Lauren English (Regional Player Development Centre Head Coach) and Jordan Frederick (U18 Performance Coach) join the Academy, a global network of tennis professionals sharing expertise in coaching, training and mental wellbeing.

ASICS and Team Bath Tennis – based at the University of Bath’s renowned Sports Training Village – aim to work closely on various projects to support and develop both local talent and the wider tennis community.

A key focus of the partnership is product innovation. ASICS will work with Team Bath coaches and players to gather insights and feedback, helping shape future tennis kit for all levels. Workshops and events at the Bath venue will support both product development and coach education.

This collaboration will provide education and upskilling opportunities for coaches across the UK. Using the expertise of the ASICS Tennis Academy, it aims to support coach development through mentorship, workshops, and content creation, ultimately enhancing coaching standards and fostering player development at all levels.

Tom Osborne, Head of Club Tennis, said: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with ASICS and engaging with the brand’s expertise and leadership in tennis. This partnership, the only one of its kind with ASICS in the UK, will help solidify Team Bath Tennis as a national centre of excellence and provide international recognition.”

The partnership will also feature trial events at Team Bath Tennis, where players of all abilities can experience ASICS’ latest products and join workshops promoting physical and mental wellbeing.
Team Bath Tennis players will have exclusive access to ASICS products.

With a refurbished indoor tennis centre and a new term of coaching sessions starting this week, the partnership promises lasting benefits for both players and coaches.

For more information about Team Bath Tennis and the new coaching term, visit teambath.com/tennis.

With thanks to the Team Bath Press Office

During the past two years the LTA in consultation with the All England Club have been reviewing the entire grass court season with the intention of improving the experience for fans and players.

The purpose of the review has been to raise the profile and visibility of tennis in Britain during the run up to The Championships at Wimbledon.

The plans unveiled today will offer more fans the opportunity to watch professional tennis, particularly women’s tennis, both live and on television, whilst ensuring that there are the same number of playing opportunities for British and overseas players across the four-week period.

The new calendar of professional events for 2025 is being unveiled today and will:

• See high profile events at the start of the season to ensure maximum visibility for tennis
• Promote women’s tennis to a larger audience and raise its profile
• Ensure every tournament venue will host both male and female events

The 2025 grass court season will launch with a combined challenger level event at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham in the week of 2^nd June. It will be the first male and female combined event in professional tennis history in Birmingham.

The following week will see the return of a tour level women’s event in London for the first time in over 50 years, as The Queen’s Club plays host to a high-profile WTA 500 event. The traditional combined challenger level event at Ilkley will also take place this week. The exact classification of these challenger events will be confirmed in the coming months.

The week of 16^th June will see Queen’s host its hugely popular men’s ATP500 tournament in the usual slot. Alongside this, the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre will host its women’s WTA 250 event and a men’s ATP 125 Challenger event.

The final week of the season before The Championships will see Devonshire Park in Eastbourne host a combined women’s and men’s WTA/ATP 250 in its traditional week, as players head to the coast before making their final preparations for a trip to Wimbledon.

The changes mean the mixed event in Surbiton, south-west London, will come to an end after 2024. The LTA would like to place on record its thanks to the Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club for their longstanding help in hosting this event.

The arrangements for the 2025 British Open Wheelchair event will be confirmed closer to the time.

The 2025 calendar will be:

Chris Pollard, LTA Director of Major Events and Digital, said: “This new calendar is an important step in increasing the visibility of our sport, particularly the women’s game. The changes mean we can deliver a high-profile women’s tour event in London for the first time in half a century. This will kick start interest in the sport at the beginning of the grass court season, meaning more public exposure for tennis in Britain, and more opportunities to inspire the next generation. We’re committed to protecting the geographical spread of our grass court venues and every venue will now host both men’s and women’s tennis, meaning more chances for fans to watch British players in action closer to them.”

Further details

The LTA and The Queen’s Club have been working closely together on plans to bring the Women’s event to the historic venue, and this work will continue over the coming year as arrangements for the 2025 season are finalised. The tournament’s temporary infrastructure will remain in place for a two-week period allowing for better usage from the investment in it.

Independent research and experience from other venues (including The Championships, Wimbledon) confirms that the grass will continue to offer an excellent playing surface in the second week at The Queen’s Club.

Simon Greenwell, Chair of the Queen’s Club, said: “The Queen’s Club is delighted to be hosting a leading Women’s Tournament after a 52-year absence. The Queen’s Club Championships was first held at the Club in 1890 as a joint Men’s and Women’s event and, 135 years on, we are very proud to be hosting both WTA and ATP 500 Tournaments on our historic grass courts.”

Meanwhile the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham will host a combined challenger level event in the first week of the grass court season. This event will relocate from Surbiton, and often attracts a high-level field as players change surfaces, with Andy Murray and Dan Evans both winners of the men’s event in the past three years.”

Carol Cole, Chair of the Edgbaston Priory Club, said: “We are proud to have hosted the WTA event at the club since 1982 and will be delivering another great event this year. Next year, we will look forward to staging the first ever men’s and women’s combined professional tournament in Birmingham. We know our fans will enjoy seeing the grass court season get off to an exciting start with male and female players competing together at Edgbaston Priory Club from 2025.”

The LTA remains fully committed to maintaining a combined men’s and women’s tour level event at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. The LTA will continue to work closely with Eastbourne Borough Council, and all local stakeholders, to ensure that it remains as popular with players and fans as ever, as well as retaining its unique charm.

The LTA also remains committed to taking professional tennis to different parts of Great Britian, with Manchester, Coventry and Glasgow all having staged major events in the past three years. Manchester will once again stage the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage in September this year.

With thanks to the LTA

The LTA has today announced that the 2024 Lexus British Open Roehampton for the best wheelchair players in the world, will take place at the Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre in Roehampton alongside the prestigious ITF J300 junior event (the main warm-up to The Championships), on 30 June – 5 July.  The Lexus British Open, which has usually taken place in August at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre, moves to a new week in the calendar to provide enhanced grass-court preparations ahead of The Championships at Wimbledon, improve the strength of international player fields and avoid clashing with the Paris Paralympic Games.

The Lexus British Open will be one of a number of grass-court wheelchair tennis events played in the lead up to Wimbledon, with the Rothesay International at Eastbourne once again featuring an ITF wheelchair tournament, this year with a men’s women’s and quad division. The LTA has also today confirmed that a high- level disability tennis exhibition event will be held at the Queen’s Club over the final weekend of the cinch Championships, featuring international wheelchair players as well as Britain’s leading learning disability players.

Alfie Hewett, world no.1 said: “It’s great to have a full swing of grass-court events in the calendar this summer – it’s perfect preparation for the players before Wimbledon and a brilliant opportunity to showcase the sport during the iconic British grass-court season. I can’t wait to be out there playing in front of the home crowds, the support will be amazing for all the British players as we take on the very best wheelchair tennis players in the world.”

Tickets for all events are now on sale on the LTA website.

cinch Championships Qualifying & cinch Championships Fan Day

Tickets are also now on sale for the cinch Championships qualifying weekend which will be fully open to the public on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June. Sunday 16 June will be a special ‘Fan Day’ in aid of the LTA Tennis Foundation. Ticket holders will be able to enjoy exhibition matches with top players, open practice sessions and the chance to watch players compete in qualifying for a place in the main draw.

Tickets will start from £5 (for under 16s) to £40 with all proceeds going to the Foundation, which aims to improve lives through tennis.  The LTA will make a quarter of tickets on Sunday available to local school and other charity groups at the special price of £15 for adults and £5 for children.

LTA Performance Competitions Calendar

Finally, the LTA has also today published the next five months of the LTA Performance Competitions Calendar.  This confirms the ITF World Tennis Tour, Junior and ITF Wheelchair events being hosted in Britain until the end of September, designed to provide British players with international level playing opportunities and the chance to earn ranking points and prize money on home soil.  There are now 32 professional ranking events for men and women (across ITF/ATP/WTA levels) staged in Britain this year from January through to September, with 14 international junior events for both boys and girls and seven international tournaments in the wheelchair category.

Highlights for the period July – September include a swing of 5 men’s ITF WTT M25 and 4 women’s W35 events back-to-back in Nottingham, the NTC and Aldershot. For Juniors there will be three J30 events at Bradfield and Loughborough as well as a Tennis Europe Cat 2 event at Aldershot for 14U and 12U boys and girls and the Lexus National Junior Championships for the same age groups in August.

With thanks to the LTA

The LTA has named a team of five players, including 2019 medallists Esah Hayat, Lewis Fletcher and Phoebe Suthers, to represent Great Britain at the 3rd World Deaf Tennis Championships, which takes place in Hersonisos, Crete from 23- 29 September. The full team is:

· Esah Hayat, (East Finchley, London)
· Lewis Fletcher (Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire)
· Phoebe Suthers (Elland, Yorkshire)
· Charlie Denton (Stonehouse, Gloucestershire)
· Ethan Carter (Meonstoke, Hampshire)

Great Britain National Coach: Catherine Fletcher
Great Britain Team Manager: Sophie Hall

Great Britian is one of more than 20 countries contesting this year’s World Championships, with Hayat, Denton, Carter and Suthers contesting the men’s and women’s singles events from Saturday.

Phoebe Suthers, Lewis Fletcher and Esah Hayat

Fletcher will partner Hayat in the men’s doubles and partner Suthers in the mixed doubles after teaming up with the same respective partners to win men’s doubles and mixed doubles silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Antalya, Turkey, where the three players won a total of five medals between them.

Great Britain hosted the 1st World Deaf Tennis Championships in Nottingham in 2015, where Hayat and Suthers won gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the junior boys’ singles and girls’ singles before earning silver and bronze medals in the same events four years ago in Turkey, where they also paired up to win the gold medal in the junior mixed doubles.

As well as lining up in the men’s singles and men’s doubles, Carter and Denton will contest the World Deaf Youth Tennis Championships from Monday (25th September). Denton returned from the 3rd Deaf Youth Tennis Cup in Germany last year with a gold medal in the doubles and bronze medal in the singles and recently won his fourth LTA Deaf National Finals junior singles title.

The LTA’s Disability Competitions Manager Sophie Hall, Great Britain Team Manager for the 2023 World Deaf Tennis Championships, said: “Great Britain’s deaf tennis players have a long history of medal success at Deaflympic, World and European level and while the pandemic has limited the opportunities to contest major championships since 2019, this year started with Phoebe and Esah putting in some great performances at the Australian Open. Phoebe was runner-up in the women’s singles and doubles at the first deaf tennis tournament to take place alongside a Grand Slam. The strength and depth in deaf tennis continues to rise globally and we’re very excited to be back in world championship competition and hopefully challenging for medals at senior and youth level.”

With thanks to the LTA