(In paragraph nine corrects winner’s prize money after officials correct figure published on WTA website)
LONDON :Top tier women’s tennis returns to Queen’s Club for the first time in more than half a century on Monday with the start of the WTA 500 event at the prestigious London establishment.
While the men’s event has become one of the key dates in the grasscourt season and the build-up to Wimbledon, a women’s tournament was last held in 1973.
In effect, Olga Morozova can claim to have been the reigning champion for 52 years, but not for much longer.
A high-quality field have assembled in south west London including Olympic champion Zheng Quinwen, reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, current Australian champion Madison Keys and former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina.
There will also be strong home interest with Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter all in the draw.
“I’ve actually always said to myself, I wish there was a women’s event here,” Boulter said in the build-up. “I wish I got the chance to play on this court, because you can feel the history and you can feel how incredible it is.”
One thing is for sure, it will feel a world away from when Morozova won the title with a wooden racket, spent the week staying in a cheap bed and breakfast in Earl’s Court and took a public bus to the courts for her matches.
She earned 1,000 pounds for her work that week, although coming from the former Soviet Union meant she could not keep it.
The inaugural version of the revamped event will boast total prize money of $1.415 million, the highest for a WTA 500 event of its draw size on the Tour, with the singles champion receiving a cool $218,000.
Organisers say, they plan to have equal prize-money with the men’s event, which takes place the following week, by 2029. The ATP event has a total prize fund of $2.87 million.
The WTA 250 event in Eastbourne will take place from June 23-28, in the week before Wimbledon.
“We are making significant increases this year to the women’s prize money at Queen’s and Eastbourne and want to achieve equal prize money as soon as possible,” Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Scott Lloyd said in a statement.
“The LTA is committed to growing women’s tennis, both at professional and grass-roots level and this move is an important part of that commitment.”
