Grass court season is off to an ace start, and tennis enthusiasts from across the globe have flocked to marvel at some on-court action in the lead up to Wimbledon.
This year, Stoke Park - the magnificent former stately home now hotel located in Buckinghamshire - once again welcomed through its gates a stellar line-up of the brightest names in men's tennis for The Boodles; a glitzy exhibition tournament that offers up world-class tennis, Laurent-Perrier Champagne and a setting steeped in history dating back to William I's reign in the 11th century.
© Dave BenettThe Boodles courts have played host to star players Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal over the years. Gracing the grass courts this tournament, the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Sebastian Korda and Chilean No.1 Nicolas Jarry served up standout performances.
HELLO! invited a glamorous line-up of famous faces to soak up the summer sunshine at the 300-acre estate in the Buckinghamshire countryside.
© Dave BenettThe red carpet was rolled out for the Marchioness of Bath, Emma Thynn – our Social Editor at Large – and model Maddison May Brudenell who is the granddaughter of Lady Pamela Hicks, who were joined by Good Morning Britain's Laura Tobin, as well as former Made in Chelsea favourites Ollie Locke and Binky Felstead.
The ever-glamorous Emma, who shares her love for tennis with her nine-year-old son, John, Viscount Weymouth, told us: "What goes into being a champion requires a lot of work, so it's an honour whenever you get to see that play out live."
"I'm always very grateful to be invited to live sporting events,” she added, revealing she spends three hours a week at training with her aspiring professional tennis player eldest son.
“Tennis is such a big part of the British Summer Time." Adding to the pool of stylish guests, Maddison, who is the great-granddaughter of the late Lord Mountbatten, and is just six weeks from welcoming her fourth child with fiancé Bret Kapetanov, recalled: "Seeing my grandparents watch the tennis is such a prominent memory from my childhood.
"It was part of their routine in the summer. Every day the tennis would be on, and we spent a lot of time growing up at their (her grandparents’) house and they had tennis courts so we played a lot - I have nothing but fond memories of it."
Former Made In Chealsea star Binky told us: "I've been playing since a very young age, and I go to Wimbledon every year, I love it.”
© Dave Benett“Tennis is fabulous in so many ways and The Boodles is quite fabulous too, so I'm happy to be here," added Ollie, who admitted he knows more about Champagne than he does tennis.
The father-of-two, who shares one-year-old twins with his husband Gareth Locke, added that summer is "heaven" now he and best friend Binky can raise their children alongside each other. "Summer has become different now we have kids because our children can have fun together, seeing them all interact is so special."
Players use The Boodles as an opportunity to try new techniques and have fun on the court ahead of a nail-biting tournament at SW19, as Stefanos Tsitsipas, 25, revealed to HELLO! after winning a match against Sebastian Korda.
"You feel more comfortable using certain tactics here because there are no consequences, this separates exhibition matches from competition matches," he said. The Greek player, who won his first career Grand Slam match at the French Open in 2018, said the key to a good game is in the preparation. "Being fully rested and making sure I'm in a good state of mind is something I try to do before matches. Every athlete has their own superstition, and for me it's following my routine methodically."
© Dave BenettPost Wimbledon, Tsitsipas is looking forward to returning to clay as he plays at the Paris Olympics. "The Roland-Garros, home of the French Open, holds special memories for me - I love the clay there, so I've been excited about it for a very long time."
USA tennis player Korda, 23, added: "The amount of bottles popped during the match, it's pretty funny, you hear some corks flying around... the crowd at The Boodles really interact with us and it's good fun to play here."
Aside from popping Champagne and sipping on Pimms from the private courtside box, guests were able to view the beautiful jewels being shown at the on site Boodles Gallery. This was followed by a dazzling three-course lunch in the gorgeous Players Enclosure from award-winning chef Chris Wheeler, and players' Q&A led by the inimitable Master of Ceremonies, Di Stewart. The event set up - the quintessential luxurious summer garden party in the glorious grounds of Stoke Park – truly impressed.
"My favourite thing about British summer is an excuse to eat strawberries and cream and drink Champagne!" Binky said before heading out to the court to watch an afternoon of world-class tennis.
