Top British duo Konta and Watson return to Aegon International Eastbourne

British No.1 and Eastbourne local, Johanna Konta, will be joined by Heather Watson at Devonshire Park as the Aegon GB Fed Cup Team duo return to the grass courts of as part of their preparations for The Championships, Wimbledon.

Konta, 24, will take to her home courts once again after last year recording two of the biggest wins of her career at that time on her way to the quarter final. Her good run at the tournament preceded a remarkable rise in the rankings in 2015 as she rose to a high of No.21 in the world, the highest ranked British player in 30 years, defeating four top-10 players along the way.

Joining Konta will be another crowd favourite in the form of Heather Watson who is looking to add to her impressive three WTA tour titles. With a career high ranking of No. 39 the former British No.1 will be trying to replicate her 2015 grass court form when she came within one service game of defeating world No.1 Serena Williams in a thrilling three-set encounter at Wimbledon.

The Aegon International Eastbourne will take place from 18-25 June 2016 and is an integral part of the British grass court season, which features 11 international grass-court tournaments in eight venues across the country.

Speaking on the announcement, Konta said: “Playing at Devonshire Park is really special for me and I can’t wait to get back on the courts, just a stone’s throw from my family home. Returning to my home town is so much fun and I get such a warm welcome. It’s an amazing player field this year and I’m sure the fans will enjoy loads of world class tennis.”

The Aegon International Eastbourne Tournament Director, Gavin Fletcher, said: “We are delighted to welcome back Johanna and Heather to the Aegon International. They are two of the best players this country has seen and the crowd will really enjoy getting behind them. With entries closing this week, we are expecting to be able to name some more world class names for the tournament. Preparations are well underway for the tournament and we are all very excited to get it underway.”

Tara McGregor-Woodhams, Head of Brand and Sponsorship Aegon UK, commented: “The Aegon International Eastbourne has long been a historic attraction on the grass court calendar and we are looking forward to another exciting year. With some of the best grass court players in the world on show, together with the location and stunning Devonshire Park venue, the week is not to be missed.”

Tickets to the Aegon International Eastbourne are now on general sale.

For more information and to purchase tickets, search ‘Aegon International Eastbourne’ or visit https://www.lta.org.uk/major-events/aegon-international-eastbourne/aegon-eastbourne-international-tickets/

For information on the hospitality packages on offer at The Aegon International Eastbourne head to https://www.lta.org.uk/major-events/Aegon-International-Eastbourne/international-hospitality/ or contact Yasmin Dyson on [email protected]

Last month the LTA announced exciting changes to the three week 2017 grass court tournament calendar. The pre-existing ATP 250 tournament will move back to Eastbourne, merging with the WTA Premier Aegon International to form a combined event (as it was from 2009-2014) featuring the following format: a 28-player main draw men’s event and 48-player main draw for the women staged across nine days. Nottingham will host a combined men’s and women’s tour-level tournament in the same week for the first time in 44 years. Other changes include a doubling of prize money at the Aegon Trophy Series (ATP Challenger & ITF Women’s Pro Circuit) creating the highest value circuit at this level in world tennis.

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