Eastbourne tennis tournament director Rebecca James joins Derren Howard from Sussex World and believes the recent success of British players bodes well for Devonshire Park this week.
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00:00Okay, thanks for joining us. We're pleased to be joined by LTA's Rothesay International
00:05East One tournament director, Rebecca James. The tennis action begins at Devonshire Park
00:10this Saturday and runs through till finals day on June the 29th. It looks a hive of activity
00:16down there, Rebecca. Lots of hard work going on and it's looking great. And dare I say
00:22the weather forecast looks encouraging too. Another brilliant field of players for the
00:2950th year. How much are you looking forward to this year's event?
00:34I am really excited for another action-packed year in Eastbourne with some of the world's
00:42best players. As you mentioned, celebrating the 50th anniversary of international tennis
00:48in Eastbourne and the 150th of Devonshire Park itself. So as well as the thrilling tennis
00:56that we're all used to. Some new features this year include extra prizes and giveaways
01:03for spectators linked to the 50th anniversary in what is a very special year. New on-site
01:10activities with mini tennis courts and swing ball for those who just can't wait to pick
01:15up a racket whilst they're on site with us. And a new fan zone in the town centre showing
01:21the live action from Centre Court here at Devonshire Park. More mini tennis courts and
01:27a photographic display with 50 photos for the 50 years of international tennis.
01:33Great. That's a good idea for the screen in the town centre. It really gets the town involved.
01:40Which players should they be looking out for, the fans looking out for? And who are you
01:44most looking forward to seeing in action this year in Eastbourne?
01:49Well, I mean, everybody is in for a treat this year. Again, I mean, on the women's field,
01:56we actually have four singles, sorry, five singles Grand Slam champions in the mix. The
02:04women's doubles, we have eight Grand Slam doubles champions. And on the men's side,
02:11we have around 14 Grand Slam doubles champions in the field. So a very high calibre of player.
02:20And on the wheelchair events that we have running Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the tournament,
02:26which now features the men's event alongside the women's and the quad events,
02:31we're looking forward to welcoming British players Alfie Hewitt and Gordon Reed, who are
02:35fresh off winning their 20th doubles Grand Slam title together at the French Open just a few
02:41weeks ago. So, yeah, you won't know which way to look for all of the star-studded lineup we have
02:49across the courts here at Derwitch Park this year. Yeah, no, I can vouch for that. The wheelchair
02:54tennis is well worth a watch, isn't it? There's some really great games there last year, I saw.
02:59And as far as the British players are concerned in the singles, Katie Bolter, Emma Raducanu and
03:05Jack Draper, who won his first ATP Tour title last week, they're in great form. That's a huge
03:11bonus for, I guess, yourself as a tournament director and also the crowd, isn't it? It's
03:16really, really good. It really is. I think I read that it's the first time in 53 years
03:23that a British woman and man have won a tour level event in the same week.
03:27So, yeah, the success our British players are having at the moment is really exciting.
03:33You know, I know that they all love competing on home soil during this grass court season.
03:39The support that they get from the crowd and, you know, the crowd here at Eastbourne
03:44is very knowledgeable and loves their tennis. So, you know, that home welcome they get when
03:51they step out on the courts here at Derwitch Park means a lot to them massively. And I'm sure it's
03:58really exciting for the crowd to see our top British players competing as well. And, you know,
04:05there might be a few other players added to the mix later this week when the wild cards get
04:09confirmed as well. We'll keep an eye on that. When are the wild cards going to be announced,
04:15Rebecca? They will be confirmed on Friday afternoon for singles, qualifying and main draw.
04:21Great. Great. We'll keep an eye. And unfortunately, what happened to Andy Murray yesterday at Queen's,
04:27there was a potential that he may play in Eastbourne, but I guess that's all
04:31just up in the air at the moment. Yes, Andy did feature on the original acceptance list. But yes,
04:38I, like many people, obviously saw his retirement from his match yesterday at the
04:45Sydney Championships at the Queen's Club. So, I mean, first and foremost, you know,
04:50obviously wishing him a full and speedy recovery so that, you know, he can carry out his summer
04:58schedule as he would like to. Yeah. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed for Andy Murray.
05:05And then back to Eastbourne, 50 years of tennis in Eastbourne, quite remarkable.
05:09And it has meant so much to the town and to so many people over the years.
05:14What has it meant for you personally, Rebecca? So, whilst it's my second year as tournament
05:21director of the Rosset International, I first came to Devonshire Park to watch the tournament
05:28as a seven-year-old. So, growing up in East Sussex, it was an annual feature for me coming
05:38to watch the tennis. So, from my personal experience, I can, you know, really relate
05:45to the impact that this tournament has on the local area, not just the town of Eastbourne,
05:53but, you know, county-wide as well. So, you know, when I reflect back on those memories,
06:02and, you know, it really was the highlight of my year just to come and watch the players,
06:08and it would always inspire me every year. I couldn't wait to get home and play tennis
06:15that evening. So, actually, now in my role, I can truly see the value of what we talk about,
06:23of our grass court events being a shop window of our sport, and such a huge opportunity to
06:29inspire everybody to pick up a racket, really, being a game for life. And, you know,
06:37the benefits of the game. So, yeah, I suppose that, from that personal experience, I can see,
06:45kind of, the tangible effect of what it has, and, you know, what the LTA is trying to do in
06:50Open Tennis Up, and, you know, get more people playing the game. Yeah, yeah, no, it's great,
06:56isn't it? It's so up close and personal there, and the younger fans can really get a feel for
07:01what, you know, what it's all about. And it's, I think it must have inspired so many people to play
07:06over the years. And just looking at the players that have visited, you know, some of the greats
07:11of the game, Navratilova, Henning Harden, Djokovic, the Williams sisters, who have been
07:17your favourite players over the years, and why? So, I guess, you know, I've seen a number of
07:25different eras of players over the time that, whether I was coming here as a seven-year-old, or,
07:31you know, the time that, you know, I've been working for the LTA. And ultimately, actually,
07:39what stays with me, and certainly when I look back to, you know, growing up, what stayed with me
07:46really was actually seeing the live tennis, the live action, and the atmosphere, the charm
07:57of Devonshire Park, that whole experience of being here amongst it all. Actually, that memory
08:03stayed with me kind of much more than, you know, any particular player. I'm sure it was the whole
08:08effect of seeing that live sport, and the inspiration that gave me. But, like you say, we've
08:16been blessed with the top stars over the years coming, and, you know, that is credit to the
08:24facilities that are here, the quality of the grass courts at Devonshire Park, and, you know,
08:29I'm sure we'll have many more champions in the future to come. Great, great. And just looking
08:35ahead, East Bourne will be a combined 250 event from next year. Can you give us a bit of insight
08:41as to why that happened, and what fans can expect from the Devonshire Park tournament going forward?
08:48Yeah, so the LTA's 2025 calendar sees a women's 500 tournament return to Queen's for the first
08:58time since 1973, and across all of the tour level venues we now have, each venue will feature men's
09:07and women's tennis, which is great for kind of the parity of the sport of tennis, which, you know,
09:15has great equality amongst the top stars on the men's and women's side. And, you know,
09:21kicking off the grass court season at Queen's with the profile and exposure and attendance that
09:29that tournament can have, you know, really puts a splash into the start of the summer season
09:37of our grass court events. But, you know, the tournament at Nottingham, and also the
09:45tournament at Queen's, sorry, East Bourne, will, you know, also feature men's and women's tennis,
09:52and are just as an important part of the calendar as well. You know, the long history of the
09:59tournament here in East Bourne goes a long way for, you know, the experience that the players
10:05have had over the years, and a lot will be the same. We'll have, you know, the same number of
10:11draw, sorry, the same draw size. We'll have the same number of players, same number of matches,
10:18same facilities, that same atmosphere and charm I mentioned about Devonshire Park.
10:25And, in fact, of the five Grand Slam champions, singles champions on the women's side that I
10:30mentioned, you know, if this were a 250 this year, four of those five would be eligible to compete in
10:36the event. So, you know, I think there is a lot to look forward to in 2025. For sure, there are still
10:45going to be some of the world's top tennis players coming here the week before Wimbledon to compete on
10:52some of the world's best grass courts. And, you know, I'm really excited and looking forward to
10:58continuing to grow the events and kind of share that special feeling of being
11:03here at Devonshire Park, watching that live tennis action with as many people as possible.
11:08Great, great. So, there'll still be some really top-level tennis for the fans to look forward to
11:12from next year onwards. Well, that's encouraging. And then back to this year. So, obviously, it's
11:19so busy for you and organising the players, the tournament as a whole. What are the main
11:25challenges for yourself as a tournament director?
11:30The weather, probably.
11:34Which, actually, being this close to the event and seeing the forecast that I have
11:38takes a level of stress away, that's for sure.
11:41Yeah, you must be on the weather app constantly, I should think.
11:45Multiple. So, of course, you know, that is the biggest uncontrollable that,
11:52you know, has a huge impact on the experience of everybody working and watching and playing in the
11:57event. But, you know, ultimately, the team here, whether it be our partners at Eastbourne Borough
12:05Council, with the grounds team that work on the courts all year round, the event staff that come
12:12and help us deliver the event each year, it's an incredibly strong group of people that help
12:19deliver the event each year. And, you know, huge credit to Danny Negus and the grounds team at
12:25Devonshire Park, because, you know, that is the highlight of why people come here. So, I think
12:33with their knowledge and experience and quality of work, it actually takes a lot of worry away
12:39from me. Good, good. Yeah, no, it's looking great, looking great at the moment. And finally,
12:45I think I read, I think it was Virginia Wade was the last British person to win at Eastbourne.
12:51Do you think we could finally have a British winner in the 50th year with, like we mentioned,
12:57the former Jack Draper and Katie Boulter and potentially Rad Khanu as well? Well, with the
13:03success the British players are having at the moment, it is certainly a possibility. And I'm
13:09sure kind of the crowd will be behind the British players to support them all week. But I have
13:16no doubt about, however, is, you know, the quality of tennis that we'll see on display
13:21throughout this week. And yeah, looking forward to some outstanding matchups on centre court
13:29throughout the week and crowning the worthy winners, whoever they may be. Good answer. Yeah,
13:35thank you. Well, thanks. Thanks, Rebecca. Really appreciate your time and hope all goes well
13:41throughout the week. And you can follow all the action live on Sussex World website,
13:49where we'll be reporting from everything from Devonshire Park. But once again,
13:53thanks. Thanks very much, Rebecca. Good luck. Thank you.