Robson Thrilled to Reintroduce Womens Soccer at Queens University

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Laura Robson is tournament director for the first women’s event at Queen’s in over 50 years.

A former British number one, Laura Robson expressed immense pride and excitement in welcoming professional womens tennis back to Queens Club after a 52-year hiatus. The iconic London venue will host this inaugural event ahead of Wimbledon later this year, featuring an impressive roster of top-tier players including Australian Open champion Madison Keys, four-time major winner Naomi Osaka, current British number one Katie Boulter, and the recently crowned US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

Reigning Eastbourne champion Daria Kasatkina was also announced as part of the lineup. More athletes are expected to join in the coming days.

Robson, who achieved her career peak ranking of 27th in 2013 and retired in 2022, has been appointed tournament director for this significant occasion. “As a child,” she recalled, I watched the men’s event at Queens Club, so now to be part of bringing women’s tennis back here is truly an honor. I can’t wait until we get started.

Boulter and Raducanu will lead off this historic event in London.

Notably, while Wimbledon has been offering equal prize money for both mens and womens tournaments since 2007, the revived Queen’s tournament maintains a difference. The men’s competition carries a higher purse of $2.5 million compared to the womens event with $1.1 million.

“The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) would love for us to achieve equal prize money,” Robson commented, “but it requires a successful tournament and increased audience engagement.”

Robson believes that this initiative could attract new audiences to women’s tennis in London and provide greater opportunities. With the chance of affordable tickets compared to the mens event, I hope Queens becomes an even more significant part of our sporting landscape, she shared.

The tournament director highlighted her use of personal connections with players to secure their participation, noting that many top athletes were eager to be a part of this historic comeback.