I’ve wanted to try Nottingham for years and this felt like the time to try it with Eastbourne being downgraded to a WTA 250 event. I feel bad for cheating on Eastbourne but it was time for a change! I was initially bitter at the WTA 500 event essentially moving from Eastbourne to Queens. I’ve always hated Queens but I have to admit the tournament looked great this year and i’m going to give it a shot next year. Read on for my notes from two days at the tennis in Nottingham including plenty of tips if you’re considering going in the future.

Buying tickets 🎫

Tickets can be purchased for Nottingham via the LTA ticketing website. If you have the LTA Advantage Fan + membership then you will have access to the pre-sale in January/early February so take note of any e-mails from the LTA. Otherwise, it will be the general sale which follows a couple of weeks after the priority sale. In 2025, this was on the 25th of February. It always seems to be on a Tuesday at 10am. I don’t think there is a mad rush for Nottingham tickets but it is worth noting that just prior to the start of this year’s tournament, the last four days were a sell out so don’t hang about!

Getting to and from the venue 🚃

The tournament encourages using public transport to get to the venue. I was staying in Nottingham town centre so used the tram to get to the venue. You can purchase tram tickets using the NETGO! App or buy them from the ticket machines on the station platforms. An all day ticket costs £5.50 which will cover both journeys. If you’re travelling from the city centre then you must get a tram heading to Toton Lane on the blue line. On the first day I had to wait for 20 minutes and the tram was packed so it is worth checking for service updates online or on the app.

The stop for the Nottingham Tennis centre is University of Nottingham. When you arrive, follow the crowds! There are signs on the pavement directing you to the tennis. There are a couple of busy roads to cross but it’s straightforward. When leaving the tennis and if heading back into the city then get a train to Hucknall.

Entering the grounds & what to take 🎒

Entering the grounds is pretty standard. They will check your tickets which are now stored in the LTA Courtside app. I didn’t have any issues with the app – it just needs to be downloaded and then you log in with your LTA account and password. Hopefully the tickets should automatically appear in your account – I received an e-mail the end of May.

There is a bag check before you head in. There are no restrictions on taking food and drink. The full list of prohibited items can be found on the LTA website.

The courts 🌱

There are five match courts in Nottingham, as well as practice courts that are accessible to the public.

Centre Court

It’s a pretty standard centre court with four stands. I had tickets in the South stand (SS B34) and East stand (ES B10).

I loved my seat in the East stand. I managed to get the end of a row in the second row from the front. It was a scorching hot day so I was able to easily nip in and out for a quick comfort break and relief from the sun. These seats are completely in the sun. The coaching team for one of the players sit just across the gangway. It was really interesting to listen to their conversations and advice to the players.

The North and South stands are the classic TV view and they are my favourite for watching tennis. I prefer taking photos side on. I didn’t enjoy my seat in the South stand as much as I was spoiled with my seat on the previous day! It was more cramped as I had people next to me on both sides and as ever, it was a pain to get out. The sun starts behind you and there would be no escape from it later on in the day.

The 2025 edition was a very hot one. When I booked tickets to Nottingham, I was expecting there to be rain, not a heatwave! If you want to try and avoid the sun then the only seats that had some kind of protection were the back rows of the West stand and back rows of the North stand later in the day.

They changed the policy this year for spectators coming into the court between games. If you’re in the East or West stand then you are allowed to enter the court after every game, as long as you’re quick to get to your seat. Entry into the North or South stand, which are behind the players, is at every changeover.

Courts 1 and 2

Courts 1 and 2 are the next two biggest courts, each with one stand of seating. There is a concourse that runs along one side of the court that I think is only for those with tournament credentials. I might have missed a trick but I think security would have stopped any spectators!

Courts 1 and 2 had women’s singles matches scheduled up to the Thursday. There was one women’s second round match scheduled on court 2 on the Thursday. From Court 2, you get a nice view of the trams rolling past in the background.

Courts 3 and 4

Court 3 has a smaller stand of seating on one side, while court 4 has no stands but a couple of benches and it is accessible from one side. I didn’t watch any matches on these courts and they mostly had ATP challenger matches.

Practice courts

There are eight practice courts towards the back of the site. Courts 1 to 4 are all in a line with a decent area for viewing. Courts 5 to 8 are not accessible unless you have a tournament credential. From some of the videos posted by the LTA, I wonder if many of the players were playing on the inaccessible practice courts early in the week.

I didn’t see any women’s singles players practising on the accessible practice courts on Thursday. I did see Marin Cilic on Thursday afternoon. However, Friday was great as Fernandez, Yastremska and Tauson were all practising on the accessible practice courts between 10 and 11am. Access was decent and I would have spent more time here if it wasn’t so damn hot.

One positive is it was very quiet – perhaps because it was at the back of the venue and you really had to hunt them out. There was signage that guides you to the practice courts. It is a far cry from Wimbledon where you often have to queue or push your way to the front. I was the only person standing by the barriers watching Fernandez for a time so it was great!

Match notes 🎾

McCartney Kessler d. Zhu Lin, 6-1 6-4 (R2)

This was my first live sighting of Kessler and I was instantly impressed. The American was dominant in the first set and completely outplayed Zhu.

Magda Linette d. Mingge Xu, 7-5 6-1 (R2)

I enjoyed the first set and it was high-quality tennis. It was the first time that I’ve watched Xu – she has a decent serve and plenty of variety which should stand her in good stead for the grass. It was just the one break of serve that separated the pair as Xu faltered serving with scoreboard pressure at *5-6.

I didn’t learn anything new about Linette – she’s a steady, solid player who is very difficult to put away. Linette played a good match despite some frustrations midway through the first set. I was sat near Linette’s coach and it was really interesting to see their interactions. Linette seemed annoyed at something he said (or didn’t say!) and was shaking her head and generally seemed to ignore anything he said during the first set. Towards the end of the first set, Linette argued a line call where she thought a Xu shot should have been called out. The coach said out aloud – “She has to get at least one [call] because she is English”.

Katie Boulter d. Sonay Kartal, 6-4 1-6 7-5 (R2)

The all-Brit match was the headline act on Thursday’s schedule. The third set took place during the hottest part of the day and the sun was relentless – Boulter said in her post-match interview that the heat was killing her and that she’s proper British 🥵. I don’t know how they play in this heat because I was a mess just sitting still. It was a well-contested match and intriguing because I really didn’t know who would prevail in the end.

Boulter played well to win the first set but then completely tailed off in the second set. Kartal was clean and the better player in the second and third sets. I thought Boulter’s match experience at this level was the difference and she was gritty and match tough to rally from *2-4 down in the decider. Kartal had her opportunities and didn’t seize her momentum as her serve, which was generally very good, let her down in the game at *4-2 in the third set.

I like Katie – she seems like a genuinely nice person. She was very relaxed at the start of the match and often says thank you to the ballkids which I like – good manners cost nothing! It was my first live experience of watching Kartal. Her forehand is very heavy and a real weapon. She gives absolutely NOTHING away on court with her emotions. There was one moment where she looked at her team when her coach was offering some advice but otherwise you couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

I was sat near Kartal’s team who gave a lot of advice and reinforcement towards Sonay – the main one was to use your favourite serves, chip the return on the first serve and attack the second serve, and generally take your time. It was all very positive.

When Kartal saved the first match point against her, her team were very vocal. It was while Boulter was down the same end of the court as Kartal’s coaching team and I think Boulter was a little pissed at them as she looked over to them and started smiling. For the rest of the game, Boulter directed fist pumps in their direction. I think it was just heat of the moment but it’s fun to pick up on little aspects that would not be apparent from watching on TV. The pair shared a nice embrace at the net.

Clara Tauson d. Anna Blinkova, 6-4 6-4 (R2)

Tauson is an experience to watch live – when she’s on, she is ON 🔥. There were a few gasps from the crowd when she unleashed her power. When she’s not on and getting down on herself then it’s a tough watch! After a much needed break from the sun, I returned to the court when Blinkova took a medical time-out for a leg issue just before Tauson served for the first set – not a fan of the MTO timing! In classic Tauson style, she started the game poorly and then won four straight points including a pair of fantastic forehand winners.

Tauson rather laboured across the line in the second set having led 4-0. It is difficult to watch when she is getting down on herself. Blinkova, in contrast, must have one of the best attitudes of anyone on tour and kept fighting relentlessly hard for each and every point. Tauson’s game should translate to the grass with her booming serve and big groundstrokes and there were flashes of it coming together. I think she just needs a bit more experience on the green stuff as she scored her first ever WTA main draw wins on grass at Nottingham.

Dayana Yastremska d. Leylah Fernandez, 6-3 7-6(6) (QF)

This was the best match I watched at Nottingham. I would have characterised Yastremska as a brainless ballbasher in recent years. Certainly not the case after this match. There was more clarity in what she was doing as she built the points before going for the winner. Yastremska was superb for a set and three quarters. There was just the one wobble towards the end. Yastremska wasn’t broken on serve until she tried to serve out the match and it wasn’t for the want of trying from Fernandez who had a raft of break points before that game. Fernandez did miss some returns but many of them were saved in style by Yastremska.

Yastremska was noticeably tight when she missed three match points in the second set tiebreak. I really thought Yastremska had wasted her opportunity and Fernandez was winning that second set and probably the match. Fernandez let Yastremska off the hook with two misses at the end. Yastremska fully deserved the win though and I was glad she got across the finish line because it would have been tough to come back if she had lost that second set. Fernandez was ok, just second best to Yastremska who was going for her shots and surprisingly precise!

Magda Linette d. Clara Tauson, 6-2 7-5 (QF)

Linette said in her post-match interview that she was relieved to get the win. That just about sums it up – the second set was a painful watch! Tauson was having a bad day. I like Clara and she’s one of my favourite players. Even I was frustrated though as she didn’t stop complaining all match.

Tauson was the only player I remember voicing frustrations at spectators in the East and West stands coming in after every game. She also argued a line call with the umpire that she was convinced was wrong. For some players it can act as motivation to get them fired up but I felt it went the other way as Tauson was still referencing the call many points later when lamenting her poor coach who took an absolute battering. Later on, a Linette shot was called out on the same line. Tauson was laughing – she turned around to the line judge and said the ball was in.

I thought Tauson brought down Linette’s level in the second set and it was generally a flat atmosphere as the crowd didn’t have much to get their teeth into. Tauson somehow led 5-2 in the second set. Even with a lead, Tauson didn’t really have her game or head together. Linette played better at the end of the second set and won the last five games of the match. I was rooting for Tauson. However, I was rather relieved when it ended!

McCartney Kessler d. Katie Boulter, 6-3 3-6 6-4 (QF)

It was clear from the first few games this would go the distance. Kessler won the last 11 points of the first serve and even threw in some serve and volley. Kessler, who went onto win the title in Nottingham, is definitely one to watch on grass for years to come.

One poor service game from Kessler in the second set was enough to swing the pendulum as Boulter defended her break advantage well to force a deciding set. Boulter looked to be heading to victory but of course there was another twist. At 4-4 30-30 in the third set, Kessler hit an ace and let out a huge roar. That felt like the pivotal point as Kessler held and then Boulter buckled serving with scoreboard pressure.

I don’t think Boulter is playing as well as previous years. Her level has been quite in and out. She played some good tennis but wasn’t able to sustain it for long periods of time. Last year, she played great at Nottingham and Eastbourne and wasn’t able to bring that level to Wimbledon so hopefully this year will be the reverse and she will peak at the right time! There was a fan passionately cheering for Katie after most points – the woman next me joked she wished he would be ejected as it was getting on her nerves!

Rebecca Sramkova d. Linda Noskova, 3-6 6-4 6-4 (QF)

I was a disgusting mess and glued to my seat so I could only hold out for half of the first set before I left for a cold shower. The first seven games were good – some of the best ball striking I saw. Noskova was playing really well which was a pleasant surprise considering how the past few months have gone for her. I was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that Sramkova eventually prevailed in three sets. Sramkova has had an excellent grass court season and should be quite high up on the long list of dangerous floaters to keep an eye on for Wimbledon.

Match highlights 🎥

New player alerts 🚨

I’m always on a quest to watch and photograph players for the first time. I managed to tick off a new players! Top of my list of players not seen live now are Mirra Andreeva and Emma Navarro.

Rebecca Sramkova ✅

McCartney Kessler ✅

Sonay Kartal ✅

Mingge Xu ✅

Favourite snaps 📸

Now that Angelique Kerber has retired, Leylah Fernandez has been upgraded to my favourite player to photograph!

Grounds and facilities 🏟️

The grounds were much bigger than I expected and it felt quite spacious. The tournament is based around Nottingham tennis centre which has many courts. The hard courts were packed with schools of kids playing tennis – these are the activity courts on the map below.

There was one Brita water refill station with five taps close to the picnic area. This frequently had queues – I was queueing for 15 minutes on one occasion after Centre Court emptied out. Towards the end of my trip, I found another pair of taps near the entrance to the grounds in the corner of the North and East stand. It’s not on the map so I think most people missed it too!

There are a decent number of toilet facilities and they were obviously busier at the end of a match when Centre Court emptied out. The ones by the North stand were frequently cleaned and not in too dreadful of a state by the end of the day.

They announced over the tannoy that you could sit in the padel courts which were shaded. There were plenty of areas to shade from the sun, either in the padel court or on the side of it next to the tournament offices, or one side of Centre Court depending on the time of the day.

Food and drink 🍴☕️

There was a central picnic area with a decent range of food and drink options. There was a large white tent (the public catering and bar) where they were mostly located, as well as a large seating area which was shaded but not air conditioned. There were also food stands outside around the picnic area selling hot dogs, fish and chips and gyros. I brought my own sandwiches so didn’t try any of the food options but they were what you would expect and quite expensive. I noticed a pulled chicken focaccia sandwich was £9.50!

A cup of Pimms was £10 – cheaper than Wimbledon but still expensive! There was an ice cream van near the entrance which did a roaring trade – £4.50 for a single whippy with a flake and £5.50 for a magnum. Expensive but it’s just what you expect now at these types of events.

Final thoughts 🤔

I’m really glad to have finally made the effort to visit the Nottingham tournament – i’ve been wanting to do it for years but always default to Eastbourne. It is a lovely tournament and reminded me of how I felt about Eastbourne before it got busier and they became money grabbing ba****ds 😂. It was a very friendly tournament and the volunteers were great as always. Most of the top players obviously went to Berlin but I was really happy with the line-up.

This was a one-off for me as it’s not the easiest to get to as I have to travel through London which isn’t much fun. It was also a pain to have to get the tram out to the tennis from the city centre. I would definitely recommend the Nottingham Open, particularly if you’re more local to Nottingham as it offers a quieter, more relaxed option to watch live tennis compared to the other British events.

If you have any questions about the Nottingham Open then i’d be more than happy to help. Please leave a comment or e-mail MooTennisBlog@gmail.com