Caring hand of tennis reaches out as charities receive a windfall during grass court season

The grass court season is over for another year, but the legacy left behind is set to leave a lasting impact.

It is not just the showpiece tournament at Wimbledon that is the focus of attention for the game’s elite players, as an extended grass court calendar that includes ATP Tour and WTA Tour events across Europe is an annual tradition.

There are also some high-profile exhibition tournaments, and the most prestigious and historic is held at the magnificent Stoke Park estate in Buckinghamshire, where The Boodles tennis event has found its home.

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Andre Agassi and Juan Martin Del Potro are among the Grand Slam-winning legends who have stepped foot on the Stoke Park lawns to play in The Boodles, where the sound of popping champagne corks becomes as familiar a racket striking a tennis ball for one week each June.

Amid the sparkling hospitality off the court, The Boodles has also become a huge platform to promote good causes, with five local charities reaping the rewards from the Stoke Park festival of tennis.

Mrs Nita M. Ambani, Founder Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, introduced a special daily award at The Boodles in 2023, with a charitable donation made to a local charity by Stoke Park and the Reliance Foundation after each day’s play.

Mrs. Ambani’s vision is built around her passion to empower every child in India through the power of Education and Sport.

The Reliance Foundation has impacted the lives of over 86 million people across India, and the special Education and Sports for All programme has so far touched the lives of over 23.5 million children, especially from marginalised backgrounds.

Joining hands with Stoke Park’s extensive community outreach programme, which since 2022 has itself positively impacted over 70,000 local residents in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, the Reliance Foundation ESA initiative is committed to supporting local causes, especially those supporting children.

Throughout the week of glorious tennis and hospitality at The Boodles, the Reliance Foundation ESA Cup was presented each day and a charitable donation was made.

This year’s winner included Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin, with Stoke Park honoured to welcome members of the Ambani family, including Mr Ajay Piramal and Dr Swati Piramal to present the award during the week.

Stoke Park made donations to five local charities and causes: Stoke Park Active, Burnham, Beeches Rotary, St Mary’s Primary School – Farnham Royal, the Berkshire Community Foundation Give a Child a Chance Fund and the Thames Valley Adventure Playground.

“It was an absolutely amazing atmosphere out here as we got to watch some great tennis and celebrate the importance of sports in bringing a community together,” said Mrs Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation.

“Supporting important causes and local charities made each day all the more special and meaningful. This is what makes sport so powerful. Its ability to inspire generations, unite communities, and pave the way for the greater good.”

The Boodles was the brainchild of tennis agent Patricio Apey, who spoke to Tennis365 about an event that has continued to grow over more than two decades.

“In truth, The Boodles was an accident of an idea,” Apey told Tennis365. “My day job is to manage athletes and I knew that if they could do well at Wimbledon, I would be able to do well for them.

“At the time, I was working with a lot of clay court players and they needed to transition to the grass court season, so we needed an event before Wimbledon to help them to do that.

“We started looking at venues all over Buckinghamshire and Surrey and when we came across Stoke Park, we knew it was right.

“When I drove in, I had that ‘wow’ moment. Stoke Park takes your breath away as you drive up the road and reach the main house and from that moment, I knew this was the only place we could do this.

“We were then introduced to the owners of Boodles the jewellers and that afternoon, we had an offer from them and the event started to become a reality.

“That first year, it was more like an extended family dinner. We had 400-500 people in attendance, but we knew we had something special and after that, we brought on other sponsors and the event expanded rapidly.

“Now it has become the ultimate pre-Wimbledon garden party and we are very proud of the joy it brings to people and the good it does for tennis in general.”

The Boodles will return in June 2026, with good causes set to reap the rewards of the caring hand of tennis once again.