The Boodles 2013 – Five Elegant Days of Tennis

Written by: Staff on 11th May 2013

The Boodles 2013 – Five Elegant Days of Tennis

epa03284172 A pigeon sets down to land on the grass after the covers come off Court No. 1 following a rain delay during the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 27 June 2012. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA |

The English summer – that most elusive and glorious of seasons, a small and precious jewel. As soon as the thermometer outside hits anything above 18 degrees Celsius for more than two consecutive days, you can call it summer. Out come the picnic boxes, the cricket stumps and bat, and the shorts; entire communities cram themselves into pub car parks to enjoy the fleeting warmth.

For the discerning amongst us, summer means the grass court season in England. The Wimbledon fortnight is obviously the pinnacle of the grass court season – if not the whole calendar year. But there’s more – we like to squeeze things in over here, not much room you see. Bridging the week between the AEGON Championships at Queen’s and The Championships at Wimbledon is the exquisite exhibition tournament The Boodles. Held in the magnificent landscaped gardens of Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, The Boodles is a high society event attracting some of the very best players in the world. The golf scenes from Goldfinger were filmed here, and the whole place just oozes class. Last year’s winner was Marin Cilic, who continued his fine grass court from Queen’s right through the Boodles and into a fourth round showing at Wimbledon. The three run into each other almost seamlessly, from the 10th June ‘til the 31st there’s grass court tennis almost every day – Queens, The Boodles, Wimbledon; the Holy Trinity of grass court tennis in England.

This year the line-up is, quite frankly, stellar. Defending champion Cilic returns, and is joined by Juan Martin del Potro, Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet and Grigor Dimitrov. Oh, and that promising young Serb player Novak Djokovic. Andy Murray appeared last year, wanting more time on the green stuff after a disappointing showing at Queen’s the week before. There will be more players announced as the time approaches; you’re guaranteed top class match-ups every single day.

Stoke Park is close to London Heathrow International Airport, and only 18 minutes by train from London Paddington. There’s a complimentary air-conditioned coach laid on to ferry ticket holders from the nearest British Rail station to the grounds. The Boodles run the exact same court specifications as Wimbledon, and the low-pressure, relaxing environment coupled with high calibre opposition and its location in the south of England make it quite the perfect preparation for Wimbledon.

There’s a standard ticket option, but the real treats come with the purchase of either the Legends’ Enclosure or Players’ Enclosure packages. The Legends’ Enclosure includes a Pimm’s reception, three course meal and reserved courtside seats – but step it up a notch to the Players’ Enclosure package and you get yourself all the perks and charms of the day, plus a personal hostess assigned to you for the day, and an exclusive Q&A session with the tennis stars. That’s access to the world’s top players which some journalists would be jealous of. It would be incredible, perhaps astonishing to the point of being unbelievable, until you remember that this is The Boodles at Stoke Park – this is par for the course.

The Boodles 2013 – Five Elegant Days of Tennis

Topics: Andy Murray, berdycn, Boodles, Dimitrov, gasquest, Juan Martin Del Potro, Novak Djokovic, Sports, stoke park, Tennis, Tennis News