Aegon Championships

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21st MAY 2013 - DOLGOPOLOV AND WARD RECEIVE AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPS WILD CARDS

The World No.24 Alexandr Dolgopolov and British No.2 James Ward have both been awarded wild cards into the main draw of the Aegon Championships, which takes place 10th-16th June at The Queen’s Club in London.

Dolgopolov and Ward will join Andy Murray, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro in a line-up that also features Lleyton Hewitt, Grigor Dimitrov and the defending champion, Marin Cilic.

Dolgopolov, who beats his opponents with an attractive blend of spins and speed around the court, reached a career-high ranking of No.13 last year, winning a title in Washington DC and reaching finals in Brisbane and Valencia. It will be his debut appearance at the Aegon Championships.

Ward reached the Aegon Championships semifinals in 2011, beating the 2010 champion Sam Querrey, and Stanislas Wawrinka along the way. The 26-year-old helped the Aegon GB Davis Cup team to victory over Russia recently, fighting back from 2-1 down to beat Dmitry Tursunov in five sets.

“Alexandr Dolgopolov is a magician on the tennis court and we are delighted to award him with a wild card so that he can play at the Aegon Championships for the first time,” said Tournament Director, Chris Kermode. “James Ward made a huge impression on the crowd in reaching the semifinals in 2011, and his performance in Davis Cup recently was heroic. The Head of Men’s Tennis in Britain, Leon Smith, had no hesitation in recommending James for a wild card and we look forward to welcoming him back in June.”

The Aegon Championships will award three more wild cards before the event begins.

2nd MAY 2013 - PAST CHAMPIONS AND YOUNG STARS JOIN PLAYER FIELD

A trio of past champions and some of the brightest young stars in tennis have added their names to the Aegon Championships field at The Queen’s Club, 10th-16th June.

Defending champion Marin Cilic, four-time winner Lleyton Hewitt, and the 2010 champion Sam Querrey are all on the official entry list, as are 21-year-old Grigor Dimitrov, a semi-finalist last year, and 20-year-old Bernard Tomic, the youngest player ranked inside the World's Top 100.

They join the tournament’s headline names - World No.3 Andy Murray, No.6 Tomas Berdych, No.7 Juan Martin Del Potro and No.8 Jo Wilfried Tsonga - in a tournament entry list which features players that are all ranked inside the Top 100.

Cilic will be looking to win his second successive Aegon Championships title, while Hewitt will target a record fifth crown. Only Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Andy Roddick have won as many titles at The Queen’s Club.

"We have a strong sense of our history and celebrate our past champions at the Aegon Championships, so it's great to see Marin Cilic, Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Querrey returning," said Tournament Director, Chris Kermode.

"At the same time, it's particularly exciting to see young stars coming through. We all remember how a 17-year-old Boris Becker won the first title of his career at The Queen's Club in 1985, and then went on to win Wimbledon two weeks later, and we can't wait to see Dimitrov and Tomic in action this year."

Click here to view the full entry list.

17th APRIL 2013 - LENDL AND BERDYCH TO FACE MURRAY AND HENMAN IN RALLY AGAINST CANCER

Ivan Lendl will take on the man he coaches after joining forces with Tomas Berdych to face Andy Murray and Tim Henman in the Rally Against Cancer doubles exhibition on finals day at the Aegon Championships.

Lendl, who began coaching Murray last year, was invited by British player Ross Hutchins to play in the 16th June event at The Queen's Club. The event will raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which supports The Royal Marsden - the world-leading cancer centre treating Hutchins, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma last December.

'I am delighted to be playing in the Rally Against Cancer event on the brilliant centre court at The Queen’s Club,” said Lendl, who twice won the titles at The Queen's Club, in 1989 and 1990. “The event is for a great cause - the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity - and I'm very excited to be playing on a grass court for the first time in 20 years! To be able to play with Andy, Tim and Tomas will be a joy for me and I look forward to the match. I have got to know Ross well over the past couple of years and have known his family for a long time. I am right behind him and everyone in similar situations to him.'

Any remaining tickets for the Aegon Championships are on general sale from 10am UK time today. Please go to http://www.aegonchampionships.com for full details.

As part of the Rally Against Cancer, an additional £10 will be collected for each finals day ticket purchased and this will go directly to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. The Lawn Tennis Association, which owns the Aegon Championships, will contribute £10 for every ace hit during the tournament. There will also be an auction set up to raise further money, and donations can be made directly and at any time by going to: http://www.justgiving.com/RallyAgainstCancer2013

The Royal Marsden is a world-leading cancer centre specialising in diagnosis, treatment, care, education and research. The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity raises money to help The Royal Marsden provide world-class care for cancer patients, to support the hospital’s pioneering work in cancer research. The charity enables the hospital to continue its groundbreaking work for the benefit of cancer patients world-wide.

Over the last decade the charity has raised £100 million to fund pioneering developments in cancer research, diagnosis, treatment and care. They are aiming to raise another £100 million over the next decade to ensure this work can continue in curing more people and improving quality of life for all those affected by cancer.

The Aegon Championships takes place 10th-16th June. Murray and Berdych will compete for the title against Juan Martin del Potro and Jo Wilfried Tsonga. For more information, please go to http://www.aegonchampionships.com

11th APRIL 2013 - RETURNING TSONGA CONVINCED HE CAN WIN A GRAND SLAM TITLE

Jo Wilfried Tsonga will return to one of his favourite tournaments, the Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club, 10th-16th June, convinced that he is capable of winning a Grand Slam tournament.

Tsonga, who reached the Aegon Championships final in 2011, losing to Britain’s Andy Murray, has beaten all of the world’s Top four players at Grand Slam tournaments during his career. He can’t wait to return to The Queen’s Club just two weeks before The Championships, Wimbledon.

“The Aegon Championships is what tennis is all about,” said Tsonga. “It is full of history. For me you can not have a better tennis tournament. It’s a special place. I entered the Top 100 for the first time at Queen’s Club when I beat Lleyton Hewitt, who was the defending champion. It was also the first time that I did my ‘dance’ celebration (points his thumbs to his back) and the British people loved it! For me it’s a pleasure to be there. I’ve always played well on grass, I expect to win tournaments on it, so we will see what happens at Queen’s and at Wimbledon.”

Tsonga’s new coach Roger Rasheed certainly believes the best is yet to come for the 27-year-old Frenchman, who is World No.8.

“Jo has already been to a Grand Slam final (the 2008 Australian Open) and I believe he’s a player that can grab a Grand Slam title,” said Rasheed. “The good thing is that he’s a player that believes he can win a Grand Slam title, too.”

The pair only started working together at the beginning of 2013, and Rasheed believes that although it will take time for their association to reap dividends, it will happen eventually.

“When you are making changes with a player, you can’t just click your fingers and make a difference,” he said. “When we got together I told him it would take a while to come together, but working with Jo is exciting. He has the game to make a real impact. He can be dangerous anywhere, but particularly on grass, because it’s natural to him. The most important thing for me is that he wants to make every day in training and on the court, a day to remember.”

Tsonga joins fellow Top Ten players Murray (No.2), Tomas Berdych (No.6) and Juan Martin del Potro (No.7) in the Aegon Championships field, and knows that if he faces Murray, his conqueror in last year's WImbledon semifinal, he may have a problem.

“It’s great what Andy Murray has achieved and he deserves it, but to play against him is a nightmare!” he said. “You feel like the ball is coming back all the time. When I play against him I know I am the outsider, and I will always respect him.”

The Aegon Championships is to host 'Rally Against Cancer' - an all-star doubles match on finals day to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which supports The Royal Marsden, the world-leading cancer centre treating British tennis player Ross Hutchins.

Andy Murray and Tim Henman will both be part of the Rally Against Cancer line-up on Sunday 16th June, with other big-name tennis players and celebrities also making appearances.

Hutchins was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer, in December, and has been undergoing treatment at The Royal Marsden since then.

"Ever since I was diagnosed and began treatment at The Royal Marsden hospital I have wanted to do something to raise money for them to thank them for their kindness," said Hutchins. "It is an unbelievable place that helps thousands of people in situations similar to mine. I'd had the idea of running a tennis event, and was approached by Chris Kermode, the Tournament Director and the team at the LTA, who suggested doing something after the final of the Aegon Championships at The Queen's Club. I thought it was a great idea. I then asked Andy (Murray), and straight away he said he was up for it, that he would love to play for the charity. Now Tim has said he will play, too, which is fantastic. It's going to be a really great day and for a charity that helps a lot of people and obviously one that means a lot to me."

Murray said: "As soon as Ross starting talking about the idea, I knew I wanted to get involved. We want to make it a day to remember, so we are talking to a few celebrities, who love their tennis, about coming down and getting involved on the day. I'm looking forward to helping raise as much money and awareness as possible so the charity can continue the amazing work it does, which I've heard all about through Ross."

Henman added: "This is a great idea and a great cause, and I'm happy to have been asked to take part. It will be fun to go out on the Centre Court at The Queen's Club again, and for the first time with Andy! Most importantly, it's an opportunity to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity which supports the hospital that is treating Ross and makes such a difference to so many people. I'm sure everyone involved in tennis and on the day will get behind it to raise as much money as possible."

An additional £10 will be collected for each finals day ticket purchased and this will go directly to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. The Lawn Tennis Association, which owns the Aegon Championships, will contribute £10 for every ace hit during the tournament. There will also be an auction set up to raise further money, and donations can be made directly and at any time by going to: http://www.justgiving.com/RallyAgainstCancer2013. Alternatively, donations of £10 can be made by texting "RALL60 £10" to 70070.

Cally Palmer, Chief Executive, The Royal Marsden, said: “We are delighted that Ross and the Aegon Championships are to host this exciting event in support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. We are incredibly fortunate to have a huge amount of support from our patients and their friends and families. It means so much to the charity, the hospital and our staff and enables us to continue to go above and beyond in providing world-class cancer care for our patients.”

The Media Accreditation system for the Aegon Championships is open, and will close on April 19th. To apply, click here and follow the instructions: http://www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/LTA-summer-grass-court-events/Aegon-Championships/About/Media-Accreditation/

The Aegon Championships will be broadcast live, every day from 10th-16th June, on BBC Television and Eurosport.

For more information about the event, please go to the official Aegon Championships website: http://www.aegonchampionships.com