• The Aegon Ilkley Trophy returns to Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club from 17th – 25th June 2017.
• Huw Phillips of racketspec will make up a team of 3 who will provide racket stringing services for the players during the event.
• Huw, from Buckinghamshire is part of the Babolat stringing team who provide stringing services to the British Tour as well as the French Open.

As we head into Wimbledon season it’s not just the athletes who are ready for action. Behind the scenes, teams of racket stringers will be working hard at tournaments up and down the county, ensuring no one is without their preferred equipment. This year’s Ilkley Aegon Trophy is no exception.

Huw Phillips of the Babolat Stringing Team will be part of a team of 3 providing stringing services to the players at this year’s Aegon Ilkley Trophy. Huw, a ERSA (European Racket Stringers Association) qualified stringer will cover the Manchester & Ilkley Trophy events before heading to Wimbledon. Huw explained: ‘I haven’t strung at Ilkley before but I am very much looking forward to it as I have been told it is a fantastic tournament and a lovely place to work’

Huw and his team are in for a busy week in Ilkley, with 32 in the draw for the men’s and women’s events as well as 16 pairings in the doubles: ‘At the beginning of the week we will probably be taking in upwards of around 50 rackets a day but obviously this will decrease as the week progresses and players are eliminated’ said Huw.

Preferences for how individual players like their rackets to be strung vary widely, influenced by factors such as how in form the player feels, surface conditions and tactical considerations. String tension, the number of knots and the stencilling of logos are all bespoke to each player - all of which needs to be taken into account by the stringing team.

Stringing rackets is currently Huw’s full time role which he supplements with coaching at his local tennis club in Buckinghamshire outside of the season. Ilkley’s players will be in good company, as Huw has strung for many well-known top 10 players including Juan Martin Del-Potro, Tim Henman, Eugenie Bouchard and Martina Hingis. He has also strung the rackets of top ranking British wheelchair tennis players Jordanne Whiley, Gordon Reid and Lucy Shuker. Huw can look forward to adding former world number 8 Jurgen Melzer and Laura Robson to his client list at the Aegon Ilkley Trophy 2017.

For more information on the Aegon Ilkley Trophy visit: www.lta.org.uk/major-events . Tickets are on sale now priced from just £7.50.

- Ends –

For more information please contact:
Suzzi Garnett – Regional Tennis Services Assistant – [email protected] – 0208 487 7040

• The Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) mission is to get more people playing tennis more often, and its role is to develop, promote and govern tennis in Britain. The LTA’s grass court major events series gives players the chance to compete on grass courts across the country ahead of the Championships, Wimbledon.

• The Aegon Ilkley Trophy runs from 17th to 25th June 2017 at Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club.

• The Babolat Stringing team provide stringing services to the British Tour as well as Roland Garros. The British Tour includes tournaments in lkley, Manchester, Surbiton, Eastbourne and Nottingham as well as the Aegon Championships at the Queens Club in London and culminates with the Championships, Wimbledon.

• Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club (ILTSC) is Yorkshire's leading tennis club. The Club not only has an 1,800-strong passionate and involved membership base as well as a thrilling tournament summer season, but also plays a significant role in the local community introducing tennis, fitness and squash to youngsters and adults helping them discover a passion for sport through a flourishing outreach program.

• With 12 tournament-standard grass courts, six all-weather courts and five indoor acrylic courts, the Club is well-equipped to stage world-class tennis in all weathers.

• The Aegon Ilkley Trophy is a Challenger level event which is the second highest tier of worldwide tennis competition behind the ATP & WTA World Tour. The ATP & the ITF women’s circuit administer the Challenger tour series and players who succeed on the tour will build their rankings and become eligible for main draw or qualifying entry into ATP & WTA world tour tournaments.

• The Aegon Ilkley Trophy operates a ladies and men’s 32 player singles qualifying draw followed by a 32 player singles main draw as well as a 16 ladies and men’s doubles draw. The men’s tournament offers a prize pool of $127, 000 and the women’s $100,000.

• For more information on the LTA and British tennis, visit: www.lta.org.uk For more information on the Aegon Ilkley Trophy & tickets (prices from £7.50, on sale now) visit: www.lta.org.uk/major-events