World No 1 Novak Djokovic reveals his pre-Wimbledon warm-up plans

ATP Tour

Shahida Jacobs
June 21, 2019

Novak Djokovic has confirmed that he will kick-start his preparations for Wimbledon by playing at The Boodles exhibition event at Stoke Park next week.

The lavish occasion at the magnificent Buckinghamshire hotel showcases grass-court tennis in a relaxed environment and Djokovic will return to the event to play matches on the stadium grass court on Tuesday and Wednesday (June 25th and 26th).

Djokovic played at The Boodles in 2015 as he beat Richard Gasquet before losing to Alexander Zverev in front of a jovial crowd, with the 2019 event now given a huge boost by the presence of the world No 1 and reigning Wimbledon champion.

The Serbian has a long-standing friendship with The Boodles curator Patricio Apey, who spoke to Tennis365 at his event in an exclusive interview last year.

“I was looking to stage an event that would showcase the best of our sport and also give the top players some time to practice on grass ahead of Wimbledon and Stoke Park was the perfect venue,” said Apey, who is currently managing the career of world No 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“When you enter the driveway at Stoke Park, it takes the breath away and all the players that come to our event love it.

“Our partnership with the jewelers Boodles has been wonderful for both parties and we have been fortunate to have some of the world’s greatest players on our grass court down here.

“We have created a summer garden party with world-class tennis and after a few years of working out some kinks in the event, we now have an event that is world class on all levels.

“To see someone like Novak Djokovic flying into Stoke Park on a helicopter and playing at The Boodles with so much enthusiasm and passion highlighted that this is an important part of his preparations for Wimbledon and yet he also plays with a smile when he is at The Boodles.

“He took off his shirt one year and waved it in the air to the crowd. It was front-page news around the world and I know he loves playing our event. We are always happy to welcome him back.”

Here is a list of the players confirmed to be playing at The Boodles next week:
Novak Djokovic
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Karen Kachanov
Fabio Fognini
Roberto Bautista Agut
Diego Schwartzman
Denis Shapovalov
Cristian Garin
Filip Krajinovic
Martin Klizan
Tomas Berdych
Mark Philippoussis
Thomas Enqvist

Limited tickets are still available to watch Novak and the rest of the stars at The Boodles 2019 here – https://www.theboodles.com

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