GALLERY: Behind the scenes at the prestigious pre-Wimbledon Boodles
It is the ultimate pre-Wimbledon garden party and those fortunate enough to land a ticket for The Boodles tennis event that is staged annually at the beautiful Stoke Park estate in Buckingham are in for a real treat.
Andre Agassi, Tim Henman, Pete Sampras, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are some of the tennis superstars who have graced the immaculate grass court that is the showpiece of The Boodles extravaganza, with the relaxed atmosphere for players and spectators adding up to a perfect mix in the summer sun.
If you’re heading to #theboodles good news from @weathertrending ☀️🍾🎾☀️🍾🎾☀️🍾🎾 pic.twitter.com/Ke9QXaQxmD
— The Boodles (@TheBoodles) June 29, 2018
With champagne corks popping around the court and wonderful hospitality provided by Stoke Park’s head chef Chris Wheeler, the event that was the brainchild of ACE Group CEO Patricio Apey has become a fixture in the pre-Wimbledon calendar for players and fans alike.
Tennis365 spent some time at The Boodles event this week, with top ten players Grigor Dimitrov, Alexandre Zverev and Juan Martin Del Potro ensuring the tournament had a cast list that was befitting at top ATP event.
With rankings points not be at stake, the tension is replaced by smiles for the game’s biggest names, as we found when we caught up with some of this year’s main attractions at 2018 The Boodles.
“This even is a great preparation for Wimbledon. The courts here at Stoke Park are beautiful and we are playing the matches seriously. It is important to see how the body feels before a big competition and it is always difficult to get used to grass because we don’t play on this surface so often.” – Juan Martin del Potro
One of our favourite moments from yesterday at #theboodles – @Taylor_Fritz97 getting a hug from @delpotrojuan after saying he idolised him when he was growing up 😍 pic.twitter.com/6j1CQzymIz
— The Boodles (@TheBoodles) June 28, 2018
“Before it gets all serious at Wimbledon, it is great to come down to The Boodles and enjoy your time on the court with a crowd that are enjoying themselves. This event is organised by my manager Patricio and he always does a great job here. I love playing in the event.” – Alexander Zverev.
Presenting #Zverev learns #Yorkshire #Tennis World No.3 Sascha #Zverev learns #Yorkshire from ‘buddy’ @tweetsbyjp 😂😂 https://t.co/lBlY5rbPdc
— The Boodles (@TheBoodles) June 28, 2018
“I love coming down to The Boodles and it is the perfect preparation for me ahead of Wimbledon. The atmosphere is always so relaxed and it is great to play good opponents on great grass courts. I feel my game suits this surface pretty well, so any time I get a chance to play on grass I jump at it.” – Nick Kyrgios
Another player enjoying #TheBoodles Q&A – this time it's @NickKyrgios in the 🔥🔥🔥 seat for a grilling 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/IIaNY0HHWq
— The Boodles (@TheBoodles) June 27, 2018
Here are some images that give you a glimpse into the picture perfect English summer scene that is part of The Boodles:
ALL IMAGES CREDITED TO: JORDAN MANSFIELD
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