Furious Queen's Club members plan legal action after 'secret' LTA switch from Eastbourne


The Eastbourne tennis tournament was downgraded in favour of Queen’s Club London – but it appears a number of their members are strongly against it and are preparing legal action against the LTA to block it.
Eastbourne is currently a WTA 500 event but next year that will drop to a 250, which means the majority of the top players will now head to London instead of Devonshire Park. The lower status of the tournament means reduced prize money, fewer ranking points and limits the amount of players ranked in the World’s top 30.
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Hide AdThe deal has already been signed between the LTA and Queen’s but members – who pay a reported £15,000 per year to join the west London club – are furious as they were not consulted or given a chance to vote on the contract. They are now said to be preparing legal action to block the WTA tournament from being held in 2025.
The i exclusively reported, the legal challenge will involve the club’s constitution and it will decide if the board acted beyond their remit in agreeing the deal with the LTA, “in secret”.
Queen’s has around 4,000 members, 700 of which use the tennis facilities on a regular basis. It’s this group that feel the new WTA 500 is major disruption as the set-up – including temporary seating for 10,000 spectators – impacts their membership and enjoyment of the club.
An LTA spokesperson told i: “We have full confidence in the agreement we already have in place and look forward to staging the first women’s tour event in London for over 50 years at the club next year.”
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Hide AdOf the Eastbourne event, the LTA previously said: "We remain fully committed to maintaining a combined men’s and women’s tour level event at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne.
"The LTA will continue to work closely with Eastbourne Borough Council and all local stakeholders, to ensure that it remains as popular with players and fans as ever, as well as retaining its unique charm."
This year's tournament at Devonshire Park runs from 22-29 June.
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