
Four storylines to look out for at the 2025 Lexus Nottingham Open
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Tennis returns to Nottingham once again as the world’s best WTA and ATP players turn their attention to the 2025 Lexus Nottingham Open.
Just days away from the start of this year’s tournament, we break down four storylines to look out for ahead of the 2025 Lexus Nottingham Open.
Can Katie Boulter make it three titles in a row?
All eyes will be on British No.1 Katie Boulter as she returns to her home tournament in the hopes of not only defending her title, but making it three consecutive Lexus Nottingham Open trophies on the bounce.
Boulter has been a dominant force at the tournament in recent years. Held at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre, where the Leicester-born star grew up playing as a junior, the tournament holds many special memories for Boulter. It’s the court which saw her claim her maiden WTA title and ultimately seal the British No.1 spot which she’s held for almost two years.
The 2023 edition saw her defeat fellow Brit Jodie Burrage in the final before she went on to successfully defend her title the following year after edging out former Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova in an epic three-set battle.
Now, Boulter will set her sights on becoming the first woman to complete the three-peat in Nottingham when the tournament gets underway on 14 June.
Which British talents will emerge this year?
The Lexus Nottingham Open has long been a happy hunting grown for up-and-coming British stars.
Last year, qualifier Jacob Fearnley became the latest Brit to write his name in the history books as he enjoyed a dream run to the final which eventually ended in him securing the first of four ATP Challenger titles in 2024.
The tournament in Nottingham spurred Fearnley on to a meteoric rise up the ATP rankings to break into the top 100 for the first time in his career and now sees him compete at the highest level of the men’s circuit.
However, that wasn’t the first time Fearnley had tasted success in Nottingham. Just 12 months earlier the 23-year-old had teamed up with compatriot Johannus Monday to take home the doubles title.
Monday has also gone on to claim further success on the ATP Challenger and ITF tours - winning eight ITF titles and another ATP Challenger doubles crown since his victory in Nottingham two years ago.
Don't forget that Nottingham was where Emma Raducanu made her WTA debut in 2021 - the same year she went on to win the US Open title and reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.
With wild cards and qualifying still to be announced and plenty of exciting homegrown talent potentially set for this year’s entry list, which players will reap the rewards of competing on home soil in Nottingham this year? We’ll have to wait and find out.
Strong WTA field set to challenge Boulter
While Boulter will lead the British charge in Nottingham, there are a whole host of international talent waiting in the wings who will be gunning to put an end to the Brit’s win streak.
Amongst the standout names is former champion Beatriz Haddad Maia, who claimed the singles and doubles crown in 2022. The Brazillian knows exactly what it takes to succeed on the British grass courts having also clinched the Lexus Birmingham Open title three years ago and the silverware in Ilkley alongside Luisa Stefani in 2019.
Joining her is Yulia Putintseva who showed her class in Birmingham last year where she won the first grass court title of her career. The Kazakh etched her name on the trophy having only dropped one set across the week before closing out victory with a 6-1, 7-6(8) win over Ajla Tomljanovic.
Elsewhere, last year’s runner-up in Eastbourne Leylah Fernandez, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Lulu Sun and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will all be gunning for a strong start to their summer on the grass.
British doubles stars set sights on Nottingham crown
British doubles talent has owned the spotlight at the ATP Challenger event in Nottingham in recent years, with at least one Brit claiming the title for four years running.
Last year, it was Marcus Willis who emerged victorious alongside Australia’s John Peers, while Fearnley and Monday grasped the title in 2023 and Jonny O’Mara and Ken Skupski won in 2022 - just a year after Skupski teamed up with Aussie Matt Reid to win in 2021.
In the women's doubles, Harriet Dart is a two-time runner-up in the doubles at Nottingham, once with fellow Brit Heather Watson and then again with France's Diane Parry last year.
If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that the British doubles scene is thriving right now with homegrown talent consistently making deep runs and collecting silverware year-round on both the WTA, ATP and ITF circuits.
While the full doubles entry list is yet to be announced for this year’s installment of the Lexus Nottingham Open, there is one guarantee - you can expect some high-calibre pairings and world class doubles tennis as British teams battle it out for the crown once again.