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Congratulations to Ross Hutchins on his new job with the ATP - see inside. IP: 80.235.131.188 Posted on October 1, 2014 at 01:35:28 AM by Jean
AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPS
THE QUEEN’S CLUB
15 - 21 JUNE, 2015
30 September, 2014
STEPHEN FARROW NAMED AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPS TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR; ROSS HUTCHINS JOINS ATP
Stephen Farrow has been appointed Tournament Director of the Aegon Championships with Ross Hutchins joining the ATP as their Vice President of Player Relations.
Farrow, the Managing Director of the Aegon Championships since December 2013, worked closely with the ATP’s Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode during his time at the tournament, and alongside Hutchins this year. He and Hutchins, who served as Tournament Director at The Queen’s Club in 2014, will start their new roles on October 1st.
Farrow said: “Ross did an excellent job in 2014, he will remain a friend to everyone at the tournament and we wish him well in his new role. It is an honour for me to take this position at an exciting time for the Aegon Championships, with our status upgrade from ATP 250 to 500 in 2015, increased points and prize money, and new date at the heart of an expanded grass court season. Our preparations for next year started the day after the fantastic final between Grigor Dimitrov and Feliciano Lopez, and we are confident that the Aegon Championships will be better than ever.”
Hutchins said: “It was a privilege to be the Tournament Director of the Aegon Championships, but this is an opportunity I could not turn down. I loved working alongside Stephen Farrow and the team that make the tournament such a success, and I know that under Stephen the event will go from strength to strength. It’s a great honour to join the ATP as Vice President, Player Relations. With my playing career only recently behind me, I’ve always known that I wanted to remain in professional tennis after retiring as a player. Over the course of the past decade, I established a strong rapport with many players as contemporaries and I’m now looking forward to working with them in this new capacity.”
Michael Downey, LTA Chief Executive, said: “The Aegon Championships is a central part of the summer season of British Tennis events, and in 2014 Stephen and Ross ensured the tournament maintained its reputation for excellence. With Ross moving on to pastures new, it was an easy decision for us to appoint Stephen as Tournament Director. He has worked closely with both Ross and Chris Kermode over the past few years, and has all the qualities required to be successful in this role.”
Kermode, Tournament Director of the Aegon Championships between 2008 and 2013, said: “Having worked alongside Stephen for many years in my time at the tournament, I know that the Aegon Championships will be in safe hands. At the ATP, we are delighted to welcome Ross on-board. I have had the pleasure of working with Ross in a number of different roles in recent years, and I have no doubt his appointment as Vice President, ATP Player Relations, represents a fantastic addition to our team at the ATP. He is well respected in the locker room; fully aware of the challenges and opportunities we face, and ready to hit the ground running in his new position.”
Next year, the Aegon Championships will be upgraded in status from ATP 250 to ATP 500, with double the ranking points and an extra $1 million dollars in prize money on offer. The event will also be at the heart of an expanded grass court season, giving the chance for players to recuperate for an extra week between the French Open and the start of the Aegon Championships.
In 2015, the Aegon Championships will take place 15th-21st June, occupying the middle week of an increased three-week grass court build-up to Wimbledon. In 2014, there was a two-week gap between the French Open and Wimbledon.
In 2014, after a week of world-class tennis in almost unbroken sunshine, Dimitrov defeated Lopez 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 to win his first Aegon Championships title. The Bulgarian had received two wild cards from the event in his formative years, and was ecstatic to lift the tournament’s famous trophy.
"This tournament in particular has been the tournament I always wanted to win," said Dimitrov. “I remember playing as a teenager here, and ever since I have dreamt about this moment. You can feel it in the spirit of the trophy itself. When you lift it, it means something.”
For more information, interviews and video content from the Aegon Championships, please go to the official tournament website: http://www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/LTA-summer-grass-court-events/Aegon-Championships/ Replies: There have been no replies.
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