Wimbledon hero Isner set for Eastbourne debut

Tickets for the Aegon International Eastbourne are available now - click hereIsner, a former world Top Ten player, boasts a tremendous grass court pedigree and is ingrained in Wimbledon history having won the longest singles match ever played (11 hours and five minutes) against Nicolas Mahut at The Championships in 2010. A champion on grass at Newport in 2011 and 2012, he’s reached the third round at Wimbledon for the past three years and says he’s looking forward to playing Devonshire Park’s seaside grass courts.

"I'm excited to be heading to play the Aegon International Eastbourne for the first time,” said Isner. “I've heard the Eastbourne fans are very welcoming and they really know their tennis.

“The guys who have played at Devonshire Park in the past say the grass courts there are world class, so it's the perfect place for me to tune-up for Wimbledon."

The historic Aegon International Eastbourne sees the return of the men’s draw for the first time in three years, with the men’s and women’s draws awarding a combined prize pool of more than €1.4 million in 2017.

Now in its 43rd year, the Aegon International Eastbourne boasts Andy Roddick, Feliciano Lopez and Andreas Seppi among its former men’s champions, while Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert Justine Henin, and Kim Clijsters have all claimed the women’s title on the seaside lawns of Devonshire Park.

Gavin Fletcher, Tournament Director for the Aegon International Eastbourne, said: “The return of the men to Eastbourne in 2017 has been hotly anticipated and we can’t wait to watch another fascinating draw play out.

“2017 is an exciting year for the tournament, not only are we welcoming back the men, but this is the first year of our reinvestment programme with Eastbourne Borough Council that will transform Devonshire Park. We look forward to welcoming our fans once again for a world class nine days of sport.”

Staged from June 23 to July 1, the Aegon International is one of three world-class men’s British grass court events leading into The Championships, Wimbledon this summer. Isner will join British Davis Cup star Dan Evans, who has already confirmed they will compete at Eastbourne in 2017.

Entries for the main draw of the tournament close on 15th May, with more big names likely to be added to the line-up in the coming weeks.

Main draw entrants for this year’s tournament include (so far):

WTA

Karolina Pliskova (3)

Dominika Cibulkova (5)

Johanna Konta (7)

Agnieszka Radwanska (8)

Svetlana Kuznetsova (9)

Caroline Wozniacki (11)

ATP

John Isner (23)

Dan Evans (51)

Tara McGregor-Woodhams, Head of Brand and Sponsorship Aegon UK, commented: “The Aegon International Eastbourne is one of the jewels in the British tennis calendar. We are delighted to welcome back more amazing players in what is once again a very strong line up. Fans coming to Devonshire Park will see some incredible tennis action and savour what is a unique atmosphere in tennis.”

Tickets to the Aegon International Eastbourne are now on general sale via https://www.lta.org.uk/major-events/Aegon-International-Eastbourne/ or search ‘Aegon International Eastbourne’.

For hospitality package enquiries email Yasmin Dyson [email protected]