Law firm MSB and Liverpool BID Company are supporting the Williams BMW Liverpool International Tennis Tournament which returns for its 18th year in June. Tony McDonough reports
Top flight tennis comes to Liverpool in June when the Williams BMW Liverpool International Tennis Tournament returns, backed by leading local businesses.
Now in its 18th year, the event has grown into the longest running and largest tennis exhibition in Europe ands regularly features ATP and WTA players warming up for Wimbledon as well the ever-popular legends element.
Last year former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli wowed the crowds and this year one of the most popular and important players on the legends circuit, Mansour Bahrami, will bring his own unique brand of showmanship to Liverpool.
And the two sensational Italian winners from last year, Corrina Dentoni and Alessandro Giannessi, will return to Liverpool to defend their titles.
Williams BMW returns for the second year as title sponsor and, one of the fastest-growing law firms in the North West, MSB, is backing the event along with Liverpool BID Company which oversees the city’s retail and commercial districts.
MSB managing partner Emma Carey and BID chief executive Bill Addy are designated ‘ambassadors’ for the tournament along with former Liverpool FC star Alan Kennedy.
Tournament director Anders Borg said: “Its a great boost for us to have Mansour returning to Liverpool. We are in the entertainment business and while tennis of course is a very serious game, Mansour has sort of changed the rules a little on the exhibition circuit with his incredible abilities to showcase tennis also as a fun game.”
The Liverpool International is all about promoting tennis locally and inviting talent from the North West to play at the event Neal and Ken Skupski of Allerton who started up their international tennis careers at the Liverpool International have enjoyed incredible success in recent years on the ATP Doubles circuit and this year, Naomi Broady of Manchester will feature in the womens’ singles event.
Anders added: “Naomi is a former top 100 player from Stockport with several titles to her name, it just proves that even if you come from a region dominated by soccer the North West can also develop some very good tennis players.”
The event has collected more than £300,000 towards local charities over the years, and this year’s charities are the Royal Liverpool Hospital and Leadership Through Sport & Business, and organisation that offers young people from disadvantaged backgrounds career opportunities in accounting, business and finance.
Guy Adams, managing director of the Williams Group, added: “As a North West-based family-owned business with a flagship retail centre in Liverpool serving the city and Merseyside, Williams BMW is a long-standing supporter and sponsor of this prestigious tournament.”