GRASS COURT TENNIS PREVIEW: COMPETITION BETWEEN THE QUEEN’S CLUB AND HALLE, GERMANY HEATS UP, BUT HALLE HAS FEDERER FOREVER!

Written by: Staff on 6th May 2015

GRASS COURT TENNIS PREVIEW: COMPETITION BETWEEN THE QUEEN'S CLUB AND HALLE, GERMANY HEATS UP, BUT HALLE HAS FEDERER FOREVER!

epa04258711 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer in action during the final match against Colombia's Alejandro Falla at the ATP tournament in Halle (Westphalia), Germany, 15 June 2014. Federer won the final in straight sets. EPA/OLIVER KRATO |

Tennis is rich with rivalries; McEnroe and Borg, Evert and Navratilova, Sampras and Agassi, Federer and Nadal. However the battle for one-upmanship between the two June-staged grass court tournaments at Queen’s Club, London and Halle in Germany has been intense for the last 22 years.

This year, with the advent of an extra week in the calendar between the French Open and Wimbledon, both tournaments have been upgraded to 500 series status on the ATP World Tour. Consequently the rivalry has escalated but it seems that Queen’s Club’s Aegon Championships currently has more to shout about.

While Queen’s tournament director can proudly claim to have eight of the world’s top 13 players contesting his event, only three will be playing the German tournament.

Roger Federer, contracted to play the Gerry Weber Open at Halle for the remainder of his career, leads the German cast list along with Kei Nishikori, Tomas Berdych and the French duo of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils.

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer returns to Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the semi-final match at the ATP tournament in Halle/Westphalia, Germany, 14 June 2014. EPA/CHRISTIAN WEISCHE

The competition at Queen’s Club will feature three times winner Andy Murray along with two current Grand Slam champions, Rafael Nadal and Marin Cilic. In addition former Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka is in the line-up along with last year’s winner Grigor Dimitrov.

And Lleyton Hewitt, a four times champion in the event, has been guaranteed a wild card entry so he can bid a sentimental farewell before retiring early next year.

“To see such a strong, confirmed entry for the Aegon Championships is a huge thrill for everyone involved in the tournament, and fantastic news for our ticket-holders,” said Tournament Director, Stephen Farrow. “The Aegon Championships is an ATP World Tour 500 event for the first time this year, and we are determined to exceed the standards we set in being voted ATP World Tour 250 tournament of the year by the players the past two years.”

Britain’s Andy Murray returns to Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic during a third round match at the Aegon tennis championships at the Queen’s Club in London, Britain, 12 June 2014. EPA/ANDY RAIN

David Macmillan, Chief Marketing Officer at Aegon, the life insurance and pensions company that who has been lead partner and main sponsor of British tennis since 2009, added: “We are delighted to see so many of the world’s best players on the official entry list for the Aegon Championships, and with grass courts and organization to match we know that it is going to be a spectacular event.”

With the upgrading to 500 series level, there will be an additional $1 million of prize money at both tournaments.

Story via Bob Larson tennis News.

Topics: AEGON Championships, Andy Murray, Atp, Federer, Gerry Weber Open, grass court tennis, Halle, Queen's Club, Rafa, Sports, Tennis News

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May 6, 2015 at 8:46 am

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