Final preparations are underway for the Nottingham Masters tennis tournament taking place at the Nottingham Tennis Centre from the 10 – 13 June.
Behind the scenes, the groundsmen are working hard to ensure that the grass court is in perfect condition for the top line up of players and the ball boys and girls, who come from a variety of Nottingham schools, are undergoing their final training as are the linesmen.
The trophies, which will be presented to the winners, are being given a final polish by local jeweller Stuart Thexton who has provided the trophies once again this year.
The NSPCC, the chosen charity for this year’s event, is busy rallying volunteers to help raise money for the charity’s Child’s Voice Appeal throughout the tournament.
The Nottingham Masters looks set to be bigger and better than ever with retail giants Matalan signed up as presenting sponsors for the event. Corona, the top selling Mexican beer brand, is on board as a drinks sponsor and Smooth fm is the local media partner.
Along with corporate support, the tournament also has strong backing from Nottingham City Council. Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Leisure and Customers said “Nottingham Tennis Centre has superb facilities for accommodating top quality tournaments so we are delighted that Northern Vision has chosen to stage this prestigious event in the city. It is really encouraging to see so many local businesses supporting the Masters, as well as so many members of the public looking forward to a fantastic day out. We hope very much that it will grow year on year and become a main feature in the sporting calendar. “
On Ladies Day the Exchange, one of Nottingham’s top shopping arcades, is staging a fashion show and John Lewis is providing Elemis treatments and consultations. Other sponsors of the tournament include The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Gemini PR & Marketing, Citypads and Mazars.
On the Thursday and Friday, pupils from local primary schools will be visiting the tennis centre for a programme of tennis activities and will be watching some of the top players in action.
Headlining will be former Wimbledon champion and world number one Martina Hingis who will be making her professional comeback at this year’s Wimbledon tournament following a three year break.
Returning for the second year running is Richard Krajicek, who won the title at last year’s tournament. Richard’s career has included triumphs such as Wimbledon and he has won a total of 17 singles and 3 doubles titles.
Mansour Bahrami, who performed for the crowds last summer with his trick shots and antics on court is also returning along with Olga Savchuk, who is among the world’s top 100 players and won last year in Nottingham and Moroccan tennis legend Younes El Aynaoui who achieved world number fourteen ranking and took part in several grand slam competitions.
Other players include British star Jeremy Bates who had a successful singles and doubles professional career before retiring in 1996; Barry Cowan, who has played several grand slam tournaments; Mikael Pernfors, who was once ranked number 10 in the world; Paul McNamee, former Wimbledon champion and world number one in doubles; last year’s junior Wimbledon champion, Russian player Andrey Kuznetsov will also appear. With a professional career ahead of him, he will showcase his talents. Kuznetsov will be playing local rising star Luke Bambridge, who has had some great success over the past months and is one of Britain’s hottest tennis prospects.
Along with the players, legendary Wimbledon umpire Alan Mills will be the master of ceremonies for the event.
Michelle Bennett, tournament manager said “This year’s Nottingham Tennis Masters is sure to be a great day out for spectators of all ages. We have expanded on the event from last year, offering a lot more activities for children and families, as well as the ladies day entertainment and of course a top line up of players. We are looking forward to a successful event.”
Tickets for the Nottingham Masters are still available and can be purchases through Ticketmaster, the Ticketfactory and the Nottingham Tourist Information Centre. From Thursday the box office will be open at the Nottingham Tennis Centre and tickets can be bought on the day.