LTA makes the wrong call: Queen's isn't worth harming Eastbourne

I love what the Lawn Tennis Association does, but this isn't a good move.

The LTA have announced changes to the grass court season which will see Eastbourne downgraded to a 250 for the women's side, while Queens gains a 500 tournament for the ladies.

The Surbiton Challenger Trophy will also be ended, with a like-for-like event introduced to Birmingham for the same week.

This is a mixed bag of announcements. As much as I love the tournament, I can see the logic in ending Surbiton in favour of more tournaments in the Midlands, although geographically it might make more sense in terms of exposure to relocate it to the north-east of England.

This is by no means a fault of Surbiton. I have loved the tournament since going there. I've laughed as the tennis geek in me utterly marvelled at how players were relaxed enough to talk casually to fans walking around. From laughing with Dudi Sela when ticket checkers didn't realise he was a player, to hearing someone behind me asking what the score was, only to realise it was Heather Watson asking me and having a normal chat about the match. I loved being there and it will add a sad tinge to when I go there in just under three weeks.

Now the moves surrounding Eastbourne and Queens are bizarre at best.

Eastbourne is an experience that has genuinely rivalled Wimbledon. I love Eastbourne and if you thought Tom Cruise was a bit overenthusiastic, then bear in mind how the first draft read. I'm pretty apathetic towards Queens though and both of these views are with good reason.

To be clear, I’m not objecting to Queens having a women’s tournament, I’m objecting to the women's event being a 500 at the expense of Eastbourne being downgraded. 

Firstly, why prioritise one over the other? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have two very strong tournaments combining a 500 in one sex and a 250 in the other as opposed to one that’s a 250 across both with the other event being 500 for each? To me, that doesn’t make sense to weaken the status of Eastbourne.

Eastbourne is a sleepy town that ignites during the tennis. Trust me, I’ve been to every day of the tournament before while renting a room down there. It’s phenomenal and gives it a feeling of being an alternate Wimbledon set by the sea, which it pulls off with aplomb. I cannot emphasise how much I enjoy it and the location it's based in.

Queen’s well, it looks better on TV, and it’s the only tournament I’ve ever been to that I can say that about. It’s a visually unremarkable square in the centre of London, surrounded by concrete. Yes, that building on one side of the centre court looks nice, but the rest is dreary and dull. The outer courts don’t compare to Eastbourne either, they all feel distant and only emphasise the feeling that comes from highrise buildings creeping on you. 

It’s already an expensive tournament, by adding a 500 I’d imagine the prices will only go up further into near Wimbledon centre court levels. The commercial element is the most prominent thing here, the facilities are under shelter, with two levels to them, they’re nice but in the same way a mall might have a nice rest area.

Queen’s just isn’t worth cannibalising another event for. 

If there are ticket issues, then it’s a case of more promotion, it still isn’t too far from London, about an hour and a half from London Bridge. I say that in the context that a day at the tennis is a very full-on experience. The event grounds are very close to Eastbourne station, I don’t think this should be a problem so I’m not sure why it has been done this way. 

Make no mistake, a women’s event at Queens is a great idea, but having it impact another tournament just isn’t worth it. I can only hope normal service is resumed soon, but my excitement for the 2025 grass court season has already been dampened quite considerably.