Birmingham is set to welcome more of the world’s top female tennis players in 2014 after the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and WTA announced plans to increase prize money and upgrade the Aegon Classic.
The tournament, which has been won in previous years by Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Maria Sharapova, will be upgraded to a WTA Premier 600 event. The event takes place in June each year at Edgbaston Priory Club and is one of the key tournaments in the run up to The Championships, Wimbledon.
Lawrence Robertson, Commercial Director for the LTA, said: "The LTA is committed to delivering world-class major events. The upgrade to the Aegon Classic will mean more prize money and more ranking points for competitors, meaning more of the world’s best players will come to Birmingham. I hope this will inspire more people to watch and play tennis. "
"This is the next important step in our plans to further raise the profile of the event and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the Edgbaston Priory Club and Birmingham City Council to maximise the opportunity this move will present."
The LTA’s decision to upgrade the tournament is part of plans to support the introduction of a three week gap between the French Open and The Championships, Wimbledon, which has been led by the AELTC.
It is also linked to the LTA’s £5 million investment into a £12 million redevelopment of Edgbaston Priory Club, which includes a six court Indoor Tennis Centre, four championship grass courts and a new Centre Court, and has secured grass court tennis in the Midlands for the next 100 years. The Centre Court will be officially opened on Sunday June 9th.
Robert Bray, Chief Executive for Edgbaston Priory Club said: 'This is obviously great news not only for the Aegon Classic but also for tennis in Birmingham and the wider region. With the completion of the development project this coming summer, we are now ready to make this next exciting step with the LTA in providing world class tournament facilities for players as they prepare for Wimbledon."
The Aegon Classic will run from 9th to 16th June 2013. Tickets go on sale on the 4th March.