Laura Robson’s first year as the tournament director of Queen’s has seen her put on a fantastic tournament, which has been well-received by all who watched it.
It marked the first time that women had been welcomed back to these grounds in over 50 years, and they certainly did not disappoint.
Almost all the players seemed to speak glowingly about the conditions, and how it felt to be able to play on such hallowed turf.
However, this is just the beginning for Robson, who will be keen to build on such a strong first showing for the WTA Queen’s event.
Laura Robson outlines her future plans for Queen’s Club Championships
Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Robson admitted she was so proud of being able to deliver a top Queen’s tournament to the WTA: ’It has been a long time coming. I didn’t realise just how many players have watched this tournament on TV.
‘To see it come together in the last few months has been stressful but in the best way, because you want it to be perfect.’
Then touching on her hopes for the future of the women’s iteration of the event, she continued: ‘The two tournaments have different personalities and we want to make sure the women’s event has its own identity.
‘From ticket sales we’ve noticed 55% of the tickets have been sold to women this week. That’s not the case next week.
‘We’ve seen a younger, more diverse audience in the crowd, and that’s something we hope to grow in many years to come. This feels like the start of something special.’
The women put on a show on their return to Queen’s
In their first tournament back at Queen’s since 1973, it’s fair to say that they put on a show.
After all, there were so many enthralling storylines, not least the eventual winner, a 37-year-old Tatjana Maria.
Coming through as a qualifier, the German went on to beat Leylah Fernandez, Karolina Muchova, Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys, before then overcoming Amanda Anisimova in the final.
It was a dream run for the former Wimbledon semi-finalist, who only seems to be getting better with age.
Elsewhere, Qinwen Zheng came under fire for constantly changing her shoes, whilst Brits like Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu and Sonay Kartal began their preparation for a return to the All-England Club.
