Strong field assembling for Aegon Trophy

12 of the world’s top 100 male tennis players will be taking part in this year’s Aegon Trophy in Nottingham (1-9 June), which marks the start of the British grass court season and build-up to The Championships, Wimbledon.

Entry to both the Aegon Trophy and Aegon Challenge is free for all spectators, and the field will be headed up by three former champions, including last year’s winner, Germany’s Benjamin Becker.  Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller and Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis will also be back.

Paul Hutchins, the Aegon Trophy Tournament Director, said: “The entry list for the Aegon Trophy is excellent and one of the strongest we have seen in recent years with so many of the top 100 players eager to hit the grass in Nottingham before Wimbledon.”

Last year’s beaten finalist and former world No. 20 Dmitry Tursunov has also entered the event, starting on June 3 at the Nottingham Tennis Centre.

The 30-year-old returns to the Midlands less than two months after his Russian Davis Cup team went down to Great Britain in their Euro/Africa Group I tie in Coventry.

Tursunov has impressed on clay recently, making it through to the last 16 in both Munich and Barcelona where he overcame world No. 4 David Ferrer in the second round.

Second seed Australian Marinko Matosevic will be looking to get on grass after an impressive run on clay, which saw him reach the last 16 at the BMW Open in Munich in April, going out to Florian Mayer in three sets. The German again got the better of the world No. 60 in the Madrid Masters earlier this month.

Paul Hutchins added: “I’m expecting a lot of these players to take advantage of the chance to hone their game in Nottingham at the first grass court event leading up to Wimbledon where all the players know the grass courts at the Tennis Centre are some of the best in the country.

“Both the Aegon Trophy and Nottingham Challenge (starting on June 8) are hugely important events for those players who are looking for a run-up start to The Championships.”

The men’s and women’s International Aegon Trophy commencing on Monday June 3 (qualifying 1 and 2 June) is the first of back-to-back events making up the Nottingham Festival of Tennis, with the Aegon Challenge finishing on Sunday June 16.

For more information about the Nottingham Festival of Tennis, visit www.nottinghamfestivaloftennis.com.

To find a playing partner, a local court or coach, register at www.allplaytennis.com.

The full list of players who have entered the main draw of the Aegon Trophy on 13 May 2013 is: 

To find your nearest court visit: www.lta.org.uk/playtennis

For more information visit: www.nottinghamfestivaloftennis.com