Quintessential Queen’s: Breaking with Tradition

The next instalment from the LTA “Friday Pride Days” came from Queen’s Club, London, on 17 June 2022, hot on the heels of Birmingham. Our Co-Chair & Events Officer, James Swanson (left), and I (right) had the privilege of attending the ATP 500 Cinch Championships where a leading field of men gathered to compete in the 119th edition of the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up grass tournament.

Queen’s Club is renowned for its history, having been established in 1866, so it felt very special to have the opportunity to represent Pride in Tennis in a way that was somehow breaking with tradition.

The day started with an on-court interview with James and Sandi Procter, LTA Deputy President & President-elect. James explained the ambition of Pride In Tennis to build a safe and inclusive environment for all LGBTQ+ players, coaches, volunteers, officials and fans. There was a real sense of significance and coming of age to be involved within the grounds of one of the longest running tennis events in UK.

James then conducted the coin toss for the first match to a warm round of applause, which was then followed by an interview with LGBTQ+ ally Liam Broady on the big screen to show his continued support in everything we are trying to achieve.

It was great to see the officials and umpires all wearing rainbow wrist bands and some players, including Matteo Berrettini, showing support with rainbow laces on their shoes and bags. Every time we looked up to see the Pride flag billowing in the wind, we felt very honoured to be involved.

Having watched back some of the TV coverage and seen so many close-ups of the LGBTQ+ symbols, it really brought home that Pride in Tennis was being showcased in one of the most viewed and popular tennis events in UK. Hopefully, next year we will build on this visibility and further strengthen our relationships with the LTA and this prestigious tournament.

Next stop for Friday Pride Days - Eastbourne! Stay tuned for our upcoming blog…

About the author - Simon Wood (he/him) is currently helping to build our digital strategy within the Pride In Tennis Communications team. He is extremely passionate about tennis and enjoys getting others involved in the sport.