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People of Eastbourne, start the countdown! We are barely a week away from perhaps the biggest event in the town’s annual calendar – and possibly the most distinctive week of tennis in the world.

The WTA tour takes in four Grand Slams, several other top-ranked tournaments – most of them in major world cities – and a whole pyramid of supporting events in smaller venues. And as the sun climbs ever higher in a British midsummer, the all too short grass season is a flurry of action. Surbiton, Nottingham and Birmingham stage three successive weeks of WTA 250 tennis – before players, coaches, media and enthusiastic spectators head for the Devonshire Park to the higher-ranked WTA 500 Rothesay International.

Picture special from 2022’s Eastbourne international.

Eastbourne has welcomed the world’s top women for almost half a century – joined in the past decade or so by an ever stronger men’s ATP 250 competition. In fact, it’s the only combined grass court tournament in the world, at this high level. Many top players regard Eastbourne as a crucial tune-up for Wimbledon, and this year is no different. The initial entry list features seven of the world’s top ten women players – but in truth, the strength and breadth of WTA tennis is so strong that sensational new names are emerging all the time.

Eastbourne’s special week is looming – and it’s not just tennis fans who can savour it