Sport
June 2014Aegon Championships
Formerly the Stella Artois Championships, this men's lawn tennis championship that precedes Wimbledon is held at the Queen's Club in west London. The Queen's tournament, with its rare opportunity to play on grass, is often seen as an indication of potential Wimbledon champions.
Marin Cilic won the 2012 tournament. 2013 will mark the 35th year of international tennis coverage at the Queen's Club.
Since its inception in 1979 25 of the last 27 Wimbledon champions have played at the Queen's Championships. The roll call of famous champions includes Connors, Lendl, Edberg, Sampras, McEnroe, Becker, Hewitt, Roddick and Nadal.
Established in 1886, The Queen's Club was the first multipurpose sports complex ever to be built, anywhere in the world. The Club has hosted many different sporting activities, and has been the scene for such varied sports as ice-skating, baseball, athletics and rugby.
As events such as rugby and football outgrew the Club's facilities, they were transferred to their new homes at Twickenham and Wembley. Meanwhile, the increasingly popular game of lawn tennis took over the grounds of the Club.
The Club has 28 outdoor Lawn Tennis courts, eight indoor Lawn Tennis courts, two Real Tennis courts, two Rackets courts, three squash courts and a gymnasium.
