Lexus and the LTA’s extensive partnership already includes events in Ilkley and Birmingham, the British Open Roehampton wheelchair tennis and juniors event, and all LTA Performance Competitions, together with naming rights at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre and sponsorship of the national Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup and World Team Cup teams.
Lexus is deepening its involvement as well, taking on the naming rights for all the LTA’s grass court summer events outside of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club.
Supported by Lexus’s sponsorship, British tennis has made significant advances, with more professional tournaments to support British players and a consequent 87 per cent increase in the number of British players competing in the main draw of these events.
The LTA has, with Lexus’s support, also invested in staging higher level tournaments meaning more ranking points are available to players, and has additionally upgraded facilities at the National Tennis Centre, Roehampton. This has improved training conditions for young British players, including those on the Lexus Pro Scholarship Programme and demonstrates the value of the partnership.
Lexus is a Premium Event Partner for the HSBC Championships and for the first time this year will provide the official transport service for all the grass court tour events, providing hybrid and battery electric vehicles that will help the LTA reduce its carbon footprint.
It is also a partner of the LTA Awards, supported through its national retailer network, celebrating the work of grassroots coaches and volunteers across Britian.
Lexus will also run a Best Seat in the House campaign at the tournaments, where fans, competition winners and Lexus customers can enjoy a money-can’t-buy VIP experience, with seats closer to the tennis action than ever before.
The LTA are confirming today that the women’s events at Birmingham and Ilkley will also be upgraded to WTA “125” level tournaments, offering more prize money and ranking points for the players taking part.
As part of this announcement the titles of all the LTA’s grass court tournaments outside the HSBC Championships will be standardised to ‘Open’. The new tournament names provide more consistency across the Grass Court Season, making them more easily recognisable to fans globally.
The changes come into effect this year as part of a new grass court calendar that will maximise visibility for tennis, and help promote women’s tennis to a larger audience.
Tickets for this year's tennis go on general sale 25th February at www.lta.org.uk
Meanwhile, Keith Prowse have been confirmed as hospitality partner for Eastbourne - read more here
The Chamber's hospitality day at Love Fifteen will be on Tuesday 24th June, with bookings open for all Chamber members soon.
