Boulter, Raducanu, Osaka, Draper – Eastbourne tennis fans will have so many stars to watch in wonderful week

Jack Draper, still just 22, powered to the top of the British ratings last week, with a blazing run to the men’s singles title in Stuttgart. His world rating will climb accordingly, and he is in great shape. Jack has terrific pedigree, from a family of tennis players and administrators. He actually played Eastbourne two years ago, claiming a couple of scalps as well as making a superb impression: maturity beyond his years.

Since then, Draper’s progress has been hampered by a string of injuries, but he now looks a terrific prospect, and a genuine contender as British men’s tennis looks for the true successor to Andy Murray.

Hear from tournament director Rebecca James in Derren Howard’s interview with her in the video player above

The Rothesay International has a little tradition, too, of showcasing the “next generation” in men’s tennis. Alex De Minaur arrived in Eastbourne a few seasons back, with little more than a backpack and a couple of racquets – along with huge energy and talent. Now, De Minaur is among the world’s most exciting performers.

Likewise Taylor Fritz, Lorenzo Sonego and many other male players on an upward track. And last year’s finalists Francisco Cerundolo and Tommy Paul: all now established on the circuit. De Minaur will not feature this year (unless he turns up to support a certain Katie Boulter!) but those other men are listed – and the men’s entries look far from lightweight.

With number one British woman Boulter – also in supreme form – already in the Rothesay International main draw, and star attractions Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka arriving on wild cards, the stage is set for a fabulous week of tennis.

The action also includes high-level Wheelchair Tennis in the shape of, among others, Grand Slam winning Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett. In the Women’s Wheelchair event, the formidable Lucy Shuker leads the Brits once again.

After a full month of on-site activity, all facilities and infra-structure are in place, the courts are simply shimmering green, and even the coastal weather looks set fair for a memorable tournament. Tickets for Centre Court and the two other seated courts are almost as rare as seagull’s teeth, and all but sold out for the whole week, but ground passes were still available as the Herald went to press.

And when the qualifying tournament – scheduled throughout this weekend – gets under way on Saturday morning, local enthusiasts can grab what is surely one of the best bargains in sport. A £12 ground pass gets you in, and your head will simply be swivelling as the action unfolds around you on half a dozen courts.

Right across world tennis, the level of competition and quality of players has simply never been higher. The Eastbourne Rothesay International features eight of the twenty top-ranked women in the world – including top seed Elena Rybakina, 2023 Eastbourne champion Madison Keys, and regular favourites Daria Kasatkina and Jelena Ostapenko.

Watch, too, for pocket rocket Italian Jasmine Paolini, who blazed through to the French Open Final a fortnight ago. She plays with passion and a wide smile. And what about the Brits?

Katie Boulter is in formidable form – with an epic victory over Emma Raducanu at Nottingham last week, in a gripping semi-final that would have graced Wimbledon. Rain delays had left Boulter with just a couple of hours to recover before the final – but the British number one took it in her stride.

The Nottingham epic had echoes of Katie’s adventures two years ago, when – after a rain-delayed WTA Ilkley tournament – she seized the title in North Yorkshire and then hammered down the motorways to claim an epic victory over top seed Karolina Pliskova, with a huge smile and the classic quote that “that crowd gave me goose-bumps!” So often, tennis has a simple joy that other sports cannot quite match.

If memory serves, Katie’s dad was in the driving seat on that day. It’s in the Parents’ Contract somewhere, folks, in very small print! But seriously, so much of our home-grown GB tennis success is built not on glitz but on grit, dedication and enthusiasm. And the Brits have no better platform than the lawns of the Devonshire Park, and no warmer support than the folk of this town who have grown up with their very precious tournament.

Boulter is backed up by a whole posse of British talent, indeed a generation which has grown up together. Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage, Heather Watson among others.

But the joy of the qualifying action, for the fans, lies in spotting the in-form outsiders who will seize a place in Monday’s main draw. And, perhaps, in following your favourite player as the week progresses. The Devonshire Park week has a habit of opening up a path for the slightly lesser-known player. Think of Ons Jabeur a few seasons back, who came from nowhere to defeat seed after seed – including our own Johanna Konta – while we sports reporters were frantically checking out where on earth Jabeur came from. And now she is one of the sport’s finest ambassadors.

So often, that familiar phrase “shoulders of giants” is applied to sport and sporting achievements. Well, here in Eastbourne we can employ the phrase with confidence. Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Virginia Wade, Billie-Jean King. Phew. Against the odds and – dare we say it – against the then-establishment in the sport, those ladies came to little Eastbourne and set those fifty years rolling.

We are not done yet. Never mind the sporting politics. Gentle readers, postpone your shopping, forsake your own lawn-mowing, and share the joy of the shimmering green lawns of the Devonshire Park. Our town, at its best and proudest! The weather forecast looks promising, the scene is set for the opening serve of the opening match. Just watch out for low-flying seagulls…