The full Africa Oyé lineup has been revealed 
Sport
Liverpool International Tennis Tournament welcomes back former GB number one
1 hour ago
One of the biggest events on the city’s sporting calendar returns this month, boasting a fantastic line-up that features a former GB number one.
The Qube Liverpool International Tennis Tournament makes its highly anticipated return to the Liverpool Cricket & Sports Club from June 18–20. This year’s event offers fans one of the final opportunities to witness crowd favourite Dan Evans live in action.
Dan, a key member of Great Britain’s 2015 Davis Cup-winning squad who also represented the nation at the 2024 Paris Olympics, recently announced his upcoming retirement from professional tennis following Wimbledon.
Tournament director Anders Borg believes Evans is a massive addition for Liverpool, noting that his entertaining, dynamic style of play is perfectly suited for grass courts.
Anders Borg said:
“The grass court season is so short, the French Open only finished the first week in June, and then they have two weeks before Wimbledon starts, so players want to get as much practice in as possible.
“We are the same week as Queens in London and an ATP 500 in Halle, Germany, and both of those events are enticing the players with a huge amount of money to participate, so it is a very tough week to get players, but this year he was interested, and he’s said how much he’s looking forward to coming.
“This is his first time in Liverpool, and he is scheduled to play all three days, so fingers crossed for him and the weather.”
While having a headline star is a major draw, the tournament prides itself on delivering three days of world-class grass-court tennis while building a distinct reputation for uncovering the sport’s future icons.
Anders added:
“But with our tournament, people are coming to watch three days of world-class grass-court tennis; it’s not all about the star player, and we’re also aiming for a ‘you saw them here first’ reputation.
“We are always looking for up-and-coming players, and last year we had a 16-year-old from Bulgaria, Ivan Ivanov, who went on to win Junior Wimbledon and Junior US Open championships after us.
I know in a few years he will be a top 10 player and we had the same with Novak Djokovic. He was here in 2005/6 and no one had heard of him when he was in Liverpool, then he obviously went on to become the greatest player ever.”
The tournament’s impact stretches far beyond the main three-day showcase in June. Through hosting elite junior tournaments in both February and November, the city has successfully cemented itself as a premier destination for youth tennis.
Anders commended:
“We organise six weeks of international junior tournaments, for under 18 and under 14, at Liverpool Tennis Centre in Wavertree and Bidston and we have made Liverpool the major hub for international junior tennis in Britain.
“That would have been unheard of when we started up and it’s something the city should be really proud of.
We have players coming in from 50 different nations to fight for international ranking points, and this was where Emma Raducanu won an under-18 event when she was turning 13.
“I realised at the time that she had so much talent, and then I didn’t hear about her again for five years until I saw she was in the Quarter Final of the US Open just before she won!”
Now in its 24th year, the exhibition tournament continues to go from strength to strength, attracting enthusiastic crowds across all three days.
Corporate guests will fill the venue on Thursday and Friday, leading into a general public turnout for Saturday’s highly anticipated finals day.
Anders added:
“That length of time is unheard of when it comes to an exhibition event and if somebody had told me in 2002 that it would still be running in 2026 I would have questioned their sanity.
“I’m from Norway so I obviously don’t live here but I love Liverpool and I feel like a semi-Scouser now.”
Subscribe
Follow Us
Follow Us
Follow Us
Follow Us
Follow Us
