New generation of stars, the start of summer & a tennis festival – Qasa Alom looks ahead to the Lexus Birmingham Open

From the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham to the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, this six-week window showcases the best tennis stars in the world, competing at iconic venues across the country.

The Lexus Birmingham Open will once again open the grass court season this year from Saturday 30 May in what promises to be the tennis festival of the summer.

We caught up with sports presenter and Birmingham native Qasa Alom, who will lead proceedings throughout this year’s event, to discuss what fans can expect, key players and the fan experience.

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The start of the summer

The start of the grass-court season signifies the start of summer for me, when there’s a bit of joy and happiness.

I really enjoy that we have the world’s best tennis players literally on our doorstep here in the UK. It sounds cheesy, but it is really magical. You have Wimbledon and Queen’s, but also tournaments like Birmingham – last year, I loved it.

The beautiful colours, the lush green grass, the sound of the ball on the racket, the crowd getting into it – it’s just really special.

I spoke to several players last year and they said they couldn’t believe the level of support and the crowds coming to this kind of event. It’s a testament to how much we love our tennis and the grass court season in this country.

See tennis stars like never before

The proximity to the players and the level of access you get to these players is unrivalled at events like the Lexus Birmingham Open. You’re either in the clubhouse or by the court and the crowd can really get involved in every match.

I was excited by the players we had last year and it’s no different this summer. We’ve got Alex Eala a year on from her breakthrough and with more experience, so who knows where she could go in her career. She could be a top-10 player for years, and the people of Birmingham will have a chance to see her up close and in person.

I’m excited to see Lulu Sun, who reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon only a few years ago. I was working on her fourth-round match against Emma Raducanu with Annabel Croft, and she couldn’t speak more highly of her touch and play around the net. She might not be the biggest name, but when it comes to grass-court tennis, she has that pedigree.

On the men’s side it’s really good that we have a strong British player like Jacob Fearnley. He hasn’t had the best of seasons so far, but I see this as a great opportunity for him to get that connection with the crowd. He does so well on grass and made the quarter-finals at Queen’s last year so I think he has a chance to do well here.

There are two other players I’m watching out for. First, Eliott Spizzirri, who took a set off Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open before the roof closed and had him in trouble. Not many people have been able to do that to Sinner this season. Spizzirri is a bit of a latecomer because he went through the US college system, but I think he’s someone we could see bursting through.

The other is Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, who made the ATP Next Gen semi-finals last year. A few people have spoken about his explosiveness, and I’m looking forward to watching him up close and in person. I think he could be a top-20 player in the future, and what a privilege it is to see those kinds of players in Birmingham.

Events like Birmingham are essential to the next generation of tennis stars breaking through to the top level of the game.

It’s great that fans get to see these young players in the early part of their journey and that the players get the chance to express themselves on the court. A couple of results here, a few results there and all of a sudden they can be right up there.

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A festival atmosphere, open to everyone

Tennis is a sport that is open to everyone. That means people who love tennis and follow it all year round can enjoy it, as well as those who just dip in for a week or two during the summer.

The whole point of the Lexus Birmingham Open is that it’s a place where you can have fun watching the tennis, but also get out, enjoy the British summer, get some food, experience some entertainment, or meet up with friends.

I think tennis has done a great job recently of creating these events where you don’t have to be a hardcore fan to have a brilliant time.

Birmingham is a city that I grew up in, and I’m very proud of what the city has to offer, the history and the culture. I’m proud that we have a tennis event like this, where people can continue to come and share in all the festivities that the city has to offer.