Eastbourne Tennis: LTA provide latest ticket update and fans return at Devonshire Park

The Devonshire Park roar may not be quite the same as previous years but some fans could still cheer on the world's finest tennis players this June.
The centre court at Devonshire Park will hope to welcome tennis fans once more in June for the Eastbourne InternationalThe centre court at Devonshire Park will hope to welcome tennis fans once more in June for the Eastbourne International
The centre court at Devonshire Park will hope to welcome tennis fans once more in June for the Eastbourne International

Eastbourne International Tennis tournament is scheduled to start on June 19 and will run for one week, with finals day set for Saturday, June 26.

This falls within stage three of the government’s roadmap for events, which will mean certain restrictions such as: social distancing of one metre plus, re-configuring seating structures and layouts plus a large reduction of overall spectator capacity.

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Monday, June 21 is the date where rules can be eased, which could be the day after the popular People's Weekend, where fans gain entry for £10.

"The total number of available seats across our grass court events will be approximately 25 per cent of normal total capacity and the layout of these seats will be very different," the LTA confirmed this week.

"We are working with the government and others to explore the impact of the possible relaxation of rules on June 21 midway through the Eastbourne tournament.

"We're doing all we can to allow spectators at our events, but things will have to be different in order to prioritise the health and safety of players, officials, volunteers and spectators."

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The event was cancelled in 2020 and was last held in 2019. Karolina Pliskova remains the defending women's champion following her straight sets victory in the final against Angelique Kerber . while Taylor Fritz holds the men's title after he beat fellow American Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-4 in front of a packed centre court crowd almost two years ago.

Eastbourne Tennis week remains one of the key events in the Sussex sporting calendar and generates approximately £6million pounds each year for the local economy. It usually draws around 50,000 visitors to the town, and is broadcast to 30 countries.

As a result of this year's restrictions, the LTA are unable to rollover 2020 tickets to 2021 as they previously hoped. Fans do have the option of retaining their tickets for 2022 where all tickets will automatically be valid for the same event, days and seat.

"We appreciate this decision will be disappointing to some but we wanted to give people the option of retaining their ticket for 2022, so they will be able to enjoy a true courtside experience next summer," the LTA added.

"If people prefer to have their tickets refunded, they have been contacted separately via email. The face value will be processed and refunded, minus booking fees, within 28 days of the request."

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