Nottingham Tennis Centre beats Wimbledon to court standard award

Video: Owen Shipton spoke to the grounds staff at the centre earlier this year

The team at Nottingham Tennis Centre has beaten Wimbledon staff to an award for the standard of its grounds.

The venue in Lenton has won the title of Infinicut Professional Tennis Grounds Team of the Year at Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Awards.

The team beat last year’s winners – the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon to take the crown.

The team award is given to the very best sports turf management at a tennis club venue that hosts tournaments with paying spectators.

As a member of the IOG, Nottingham Tennis Centre was one of only a few teams invited to apply for the award.

To win, the venue had a visit for in-depth questioning from a judging panel.

The team maintains 13 Grass Courts, 19 Outdoor Plexicushion Courts and 8 Indoor Plexicushion Courts with 2 full time groundsmen and 35 temporary grounds staff during grass court season.

The period includes major tournaments run closely together including the Aegon Open pre-Wimbledon tournament and the British Open Wheelchair Championships.

Mike Wisner – Chief Operating Officer at Nottingham Tennis Centre said: “We are extremely proud of the team and the fantastic work they do.

“People won’t realise that during the Aegon Open, the crew maintains courts almost for almost as many matches in one week that they do at Wimbledon in a fortnight – a real feat of skill and planning.

“We know the players that come to the centre really enjoy the quality of the grass surface and I look forward to seeing many more players as the Nottingham team and court surfaces have now been recognised nationally.”

The award was announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on Wednesday night (November 1).

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