Event name Aegon Open Nottingham Draw 48S/32Q/16D | Surface Grass / Outdoors Venue Nottingham Tennis Centre | |
Founded 1970 (men) / 1971 (women) Location Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
United Kingdom Category ATP World Tour 250 series Instances 2017 Nottingham Open | ||
Nottingham Open, officially named for sponsorship reasons Aegon Open Nottingham, is a tennis tournament for men and women held in Nottingham, United Kingdom. After being discontinued in 2008, it has been re-established as from the 2015 season as an ATP World Tour 250 event on the men's tour and an international event on the women's tour, played on outdoor grass courts at the Nottingham Tennis Centre. The tournament is held in June as a preparation before the third Grand Slam event of the season, the oldest and widely considered the most prestigious tennis tournament, The Championships, Wimbledon.
History
The event was previously known as John Player Tournament, John Player Open, Slazenger Nottingham Open, Red Letter Days Open, Samsung Open and 10tele.com Open. Originally a replacement of the Manchester Open and part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit from (1970–89), it was also a Grand Prix Super Series prestigious event (1974–75), which was discontinued after the 2008 edition, and the International Women's Open at Eastbourne became a combined event for both male and female players.
Nottingham City Council bosses announced their "extreme disappointment" at having Nottingham Open removed from the ATP Tour. The event had, according to the council, been partly responsible for stimulating interest in tennis in Nottingham. Roger Draper, the head of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) responded by saying that the changes would introduce tennis to a "new audience". It was announced later in 2008 that Nottingham would host a new tennis event, the Aegon Nottingham Challenge, in lieu of The Surbiton Trophy, which was cancelled, in 2009. The new event was an ATP Challenger Series event, one level lower than the main ATP Tour. The Nottingham Tennis Centre, which had hosted the Open, had undergone refurbishments costing £735,000 in 2008, and councillor Dave Trimble called it "great news" to have a new tennis event in the city.
In 2015 Birmingham based company Eventmasters LTD were appointed by the LTA to promote official hospitality at both the WTA ATP Open events transforming part of the indoor court area into the Sherwood Suite.