AEGON Masters Tennis, London, UK

City:: London, UK
Dates:: November 30 - December 5, 2010
Venue:: The Royal Albert Hall
Director:: Sara Woolland
Surface:: Indoor
Website:: www.aegonmasterstennis.com; 2009 Results; tickets

The season-ending AEGON Masters Tennis is one of the jewels in the crown of the ATP Champions Tour. Held at the Royal Albert Hall since the Tour’s inception in 1998, the event is also the ATP Champions tour’s longest-running tournament. The AEGON Masters Tennis never fails to attract the biggest names and personalities on the ATP Champions Tour to play competitively in both singles and doubles. In 2009, the event boasted legends Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis in its line-up for the first time. The ever-popular Rafter became the tournament’s latest Champion, winning the final against Stefan Edberg in a thrilling Champions’ Tie Break.

Players and spectators at the Royal Albert Hall drool over the experience of this annual, pre-Christmas extravaganza. Crowds are treated to high-quality tennis in a truly breathtaking setting, while players feel privileged to play in such a unique and atmospheric arena. The Royal Albert Hall is situated in Kensington, a borough of the city which is also home to the National History Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum and the Royal College of Music.

As well as AEGON Masters Tennis event at the Royal Albert Hall, London plays host to Wimbledon, one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. In November 2009 London’s O2 Arena hosted the the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time. The season-ending ‘Fifth Grand Slam’ will be staged there until 2013. The city will also host the 2012 Olympic Games, at which Wimbledon will be the venue for the tennis event.

The Royal Albert Hall is one of the most historic and prestigious arts venues in the world. The venue plays host annually to the Proms, and was the location for the first ever Sumo Wrestling tournament to be held outside of Japan.
The AEGON Masters Tennis in London is the only six-day event on the ATP Champions Tour.
The tournament referee in London is Alan Mills, who until 2005 was the tournament referee at Wimbledon.
2009 was the first year that the Masters Tennis line-up did not feature John McEnroe. The American had appeared in all 12 editions of the Masters Tennis event up until 2008, winning the title four times.