Summer Sports - Tennis
“ “ 78 I PC JUNE/JULY 2014
Tennis, and grass tennis in particular, is experiencing a big uplift since Andy Murray's win at Wimbledon. Certainly, everyone here at Devonshire Park feels it
Club courts alongside the Centre Court before their annual disappearance beneath a temporary stand
The All England Club is ‘on a different planet’ when it comes to financial resources
come along,” he says. “This means getting the soil structure in good physical order. Fungus disease is quite rare on our courts because of this.” “There’s always something that does come along though to put you on your mettle. Last year, for the first time, we had a problem with Pearlwort. Not sure where it originated, but it might have come in via birds or footwear. It’s a weed that’s very difficult to see, a tufted little blighter that looks pretty much like a small fescue grass to the naked eye. Even its little white flowers are hardly discernable. It popped up everywhere, on Centre and Number One courts and the club courts. It’s things like this that keep you on your toes.” Mind you, in June 2003, the tournament - then sponsored by Hastings Direct - was presented with an out-of-the-ordinary difficulty on finals day, a telephoned bomb scare. Roy recalls an orderly evacuation of Centre Court and a two-hour halt in play. The finalists that day, Chanda Rubin and Conchita Martinez, took it in their stride and, despite all the necessary police action, the court was ready for play as soon as the alert was lifted. “Devonshire Park basically provides a serious practice tournament ahead of Wimbledon, for players to work with their coaches,” says Roy. “It is specifically aimed at attracting top players. That’s what we are about. That’s what the LTA want from us. This year is the fortieth that it will have been successfully delivered.”
“It is much more than
just a knock-up. Players come here to win, make no mistake. We have a good relationship with them too. They enjoy playing on grass, and certainly don't get the same injury risk
as they do on other surfaces. Many a top player says as much to us. Grass has an inherent forgiving nature and its springiness is a welcome change for many of them.” The tournament, which has borne the Aegon name for five years now, has traditionally been a ladies’ one since it was first introduced back in 1974. A men’s ATP title has also been contested at the same time at Devonshire Park since 2009, though next year they are returning to Nottingham for the time being. Plenty of big names have been winners. The biggest of all, Martina Navratilova, was Eastbourne Champion eleven times. Many have gone on to do well at Wimbledon after playing at Eastbourne. Roy’s personal favourite since he’s been in charge of the courts is Kim Clijsters, who took the Devonshire Park crown in 2005. “She was always supremely pleasant, courteous and chatty,” he said. Next year, the gap between the French Open and Wimbledon fortnight is extended to three weeks, the latter a week later than it’s always been. The 2015 ladies Eastbourne tournament is expected to be a bigger draw, but the main idea of the change is to give players longer to acclimatise to grass conditions. Roy welcomes the additional week’s preparation time. “It will still be as hectic and enjoyable,” he says. Roy has the same relaxed attitude to club play at Devonshire Park. “It doesn’t matter what
standard they are,
as long as they enjoy
playing. We will do everything we
can to see to that.” He points out that it
is the men who tend to create more surface
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