Not since 1973, when Edward Heath was the UK prime minister, Suzi Quatro topped the charts, and the first series of Are You Being Served? had just ended, has women’s professional tennis graced the prestigious Queen’s Club in London.
But after 52 years it will return with a bang on Monday, with 11 of the world’s top 20 among those battling it out in a WTA 500 event for a prize fund of £1m, a week before the annual men’s event takes place. Those playing include the Wimbledon champions for 2024 and 2022 respectively, Barbora Krejcikova and Elena Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, and Britain’s own US Open champion from 2021, Emma Raducanu.
