What makes the AEGON International so special for Ross Hudson this year?

By Ross Hudson who will be reporting back on play on Friday 22 June.

I have even more reason than usual to look forward to the AEGON International in Eastbourne this year.

As a fan of tennis all year round, it's always thrilling to see one of the world's biggest events in my own back yard. The grass court surfaces are said to be even better than those at Wimbledon, and the weather has often been sunnier and drier than at the South London event, with the added advantage of being less than five minutes walk from the beach. And, of course, you get to watch, in practice and in matchplay, some of the superstars - and up-and-coming stars - of the game. It's by far the biggest regular event in the town - and one of the biggest in the country - for world-famous sporting talent.

This year, though, there's a homecoming feeling for me, after visiting the sites of the Australian Open in Melbourne, and its warm-up tournament at Sydney's Olympic Park (an event very similar to the Eastbourne one), during a trip to Australia a few months ago.

It put the Eastbourne tournament into a global context for me. It showed me that the town has an event that ranks alongside tournaments in the world's greatest cities.
And it was a way of referencing my home town to people I met, when they looked blank at hearing the name "Eastbourne". "It has a tennis tournament the week before Wimbledon," I'd find myself saying. "The Williams sisters played there last year."