The prestigious pre-Wimbledon grass court tournament at The Queen’s Club in London has a new name following a deal struck by the British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
A three-year title-sponsorship has been formed with company Fever-Tree. Fever-Tree is a producer of premium drink mixers. Their products include tonic water, ginger beer and lemonade. They are the third company to be the title-sponsor of the event in its history after Stella Artois and Aegon. The tournament will now be called ‘The Fever-Tree Championships.’
“This is fantastic news. Fever-Tree is a perfect fit for us – a premium brand known for quality. The Queen’s Club has been the venue for this tournament for more than a century, the Roll of Honour features all-time greats such as Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, and this will be the 40th year that the event has been covered by the BBC.” Said tournament director Stephen Farrow.
Tim Warrillow, who is the chief executive of Fever-Tree, has hailed the development as a historic development for his company. Saying that teaming up with the tournament reflects the ‘values’ of his company.
“The launch of the Fever-Tree Championships marks an exciting and historic moment for Fever-Tree. The annual tournament at The Queen’s Club is already a very prestigious British sporting event and this partnership perfectly reflects our values as a premium brand, celebrating a great summer of sport.” He said.
Celebrating its 115th anniversary this year, the Queen’s Club is regarded as one of the biggest grass-court events outside of Wimbledon. Last year the capacity for centre court was increased by over 30% to almost 9000 seats.
This year’s event, which will start on June 18th, is set to feature three out of the current four highest ranked players in the ATP Emirates rankings. Rafael Nadal, Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic have all announced their intention to play. Furthermore, Andy Murray is set to return to the event as part of his comeback campaign. Murray, who won the title a record five time, hasn’t played competitive tennis since July due to a hip injury.
“I’ve always loved playing at The Queen’s Club. My first ATP World Tour match-win came at Queen’s in 2005, and it is by far the most successful tournament of my career. Looking at the names that have won the tournament four times – some of the best players ever – winning it five times means a lot to me.” Said Murray.
Spain’s Feliciano Lopez is the reigning champion at Queen’s. In the 2017 final he defeated Cilic in three tight sets.
Tickets for the tournament can be brought here.
