New WTA tournament at Queen's Club at risk as members prepare legal action to halt event

A new WTA tournament to be held at Queen's Club in 2025 has sparked fury from a group of members, who are reportedly planning legal action to stop it from going ahead. It was revealed last month that a deal had been done to host a new women's competition at Queen's Club, staged a week before the existing pre-Wimbledon event.

The plans have not gone down well in some quarters, with a number of Queen's Club members said to be vehemently opposed to the new tournament being held there. According to i, a legal challenge may be mounted to determine whether the board have acted beyond their remit in agreeing the deal.

It is said that one member of the club, which costs £15,000 to join, has already resigned 'in protest' while 'hundreds more' have been left furious that they did not have a say on the tournament. At a fractious meeting last Friday, members were said to have aired grievances for over two hours.

A motion was eventually passed to force the board to consult members on similar issues in future, rather than striking deals without consulting them. However, the agreement for the new WTA tournament has already been ratified and efforts to block it would risk breaching terms of membership.

Simon Greenwell, chair of Queen’s Club, said: "We are not aware of any litigation and as this is a private members club we do not comment on internal club matters. The Queen’s Club is delighted to be hosting a leading women’s tournament after a 52-year absence.

"The Queen’s Club Championships was first held at the club in 1890 as a joint men’s and women’s event and, 135 years on, we are very proud to be hosting both WTA and ATP 500 tournaments on our historic grass courts."

Meanwhile, an LTA spokesperson added: "We have full confidence in the agreement we already have in place and look forward to staging the first women’s tour event in London for over 50 years at the club next year."

Queen's Club reportedly has around 4,000 members but it is said that only 700 use the facilities on a regular basis. Many of those opposing the new deal are said to be active members of the club who are frustrated with the disruption caused by hosting professional tournaments.

Last year, members were reportedly left unhappy when the number of guest passes for the Queen's Club Championships were slashed. In previous years, up to 400 guest passes were available each day but only 100 were available per day in 2023.