There are many great sports out there, but many Britons will agree that tennis is one of the most interesting to both play and watch. There are more than 700,000 people that actively partake in this game and over 7,000 courts in parks for tennis in the UK. It’s no wonder that millions tune in to British tennis tournaments every year.
Whether you enjoy watching the professionals or you get involved with the sport seriously or for fun, there’s no doubt that the United Kingdom is one of the best places for fans to be.
Ready For the Tournaments to Begin?
As the weather becomes warmer, people across the United Kingdom prepare for another round of sporting action in the tennis world.
There are actually quite a few different games and events that are held in June and July. Whether you consider yourself to be a tennis fanatic or more of a casual viewer, you might want to take a look at some of the UK’s biggest tournaments to get a better idea of what’s to come.
Tennis in the UK – The top 5 tournaments
With quite a few events scheduled each year, let’s start off by taking a look at a few of the main tennis matches that you could look forward to:
1. Fever-Tree Championships
An annual UK tournament of professional male tennis players on the ATP World Tour, the Fever-Tree Championships have seen countless world-class players since the late 1800s. Held at the Queen’s Club in West Kensington (which has grass courts), it’s an incredible event to watch.
Something that you might find interesting is that the championships were upgraded to an ATP 500 in 2015, as well as winning the award of ATP Tournament of the Year 4 years in a row.
2. Nature Valley International
A combined men and women’s event, the Nature Valley International Tournament hosts a lineup of some of the best players in the world. WTA Premier and ATP 250 level players all competing for first place. Some of the previous champions include Taylor Fritz, Karolina Pliskova and Andy Roddick, to name a few.
3. Wimbledon
Wimbledon is a UK tournament that both super fans and casual sports watchers alike will be anticipating. It also offers many opportunities for sports betting fans who will be able to place bets on tennis betting sites UK. In many ways, it’s one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world, as well as being one of the oldest and most prestigious.
There’s a lot that makes Wimbledon appealing to all kinds of viewers of tennis in the UK as well as worldwide. From its global reach to the fact that it’s the only major tournament to be played on grass.
4. Tennis Classic at Hurlingham
If you’re looking for another prestigious tournament of tennis in the UK, you may want to consider the Tennis Classic, located at the Hurlingham Club. Often described as being one of the most intimate events of its kind, it offers the perfect blend of summer sport and quintessential Britain, which go so well together.
While the tournament has only been running for 27 years, there have been a number of famous tennis players here; from Maria Sharapova to Andy Murray.
5. The Boodles
Back at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, the Boodles is an excellent event that you won’t want to miss. In 2019, the tournament saw some of the world’s best players compete against each other, which made for quite an incredible match. While the event was cancelled in 2020 and will not be back in 2021, it’ll certainly be worth waiting for.
Who Are the Greatest UK Tennis Players of All Time?
Given its popularity in Britain, it’s no wonder that there have been many excellent English players dominating the scene. A few of the greatest players in UK history include:
Fred Perry
Fred Perry had certainly made a good name for himself in the world of tennis in the UK, winning 10 majors and even 3 Wimbledon Championships in a row from 1934 to 1936. In fact, before Andy Murray, Frederick John Perry was the last British player to win the Wimbledon since 1936.
His pro debut was at Madison Square Garden against Ellsworth Vines, in 1937. Just a year later he won the US Pro, and again in 1941. 10 years later, in both 1951 and 1952, he won again at the Wembley Pro.
Sarah Virginia Wade
While there are many excellent female players, Sarah certainly earned a spot on this list for her incredible performance at the Grand Slam Tournaments – being the only British woman in history to have won titles at all 4 Grand Slam events she took part in.
That’s not all that she achieved during her 26-year long career however, she won 55 professional singles championships and earned more than 1.5 million in prize money.
Angela Mortimer
Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer Barrett is another excellent female tennis player from Britain. Angela has won 3 Grand Slam singles titles, the 1955 French Championships and many more during her career. She was partially deaf when she won many of these professional tournaments and overcame a severe illness just before winning the Australian Championship in 1958.
Alongside many solo victories, she also teamed up with Anne Shilcock to win the 1955 women’s doubles title at Wimbledon.
Andy Murray
Probably one of the most well-known tennis players today, Sir Andrew Barron Murray, hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, played his first competitive tournament at 5 years old. Astoundingly, he was competing in the local adult league at the age of 8.
So far, he’s been a three-time Grand Slam winner, Davis Cup champion (not to mention that he was the youngest Brit to play in this tournament) and ATP World Tour Finals winner, to name but a few.
Summary
As you can see, there are a wide variety of events to watch and even more great players to follow when it comes to tennis in the UK. This shouldn’t be all surprising though, since tennis is one of the most popular sports throughout the Great Britan.
