MAJOR EVENTS THE LTA IS GROWING REVENUE TO INVEST ACROSS THE SPORT AND DELIVERING WORLD-CLASS TENNIS EVENTSIncreasing the opportunities for people to watch and follow top class tennis in Britain is an important element of growing the sport. A strong events programme raises the profile of tennis in Britain, inspires more people to pick up a racket and increases the money available to invest back into the growth of the sport.Over the last four years there has been a significant push to improve and modernise the LTA's major events, supporting and strengthening the positioning of the grass court season on the world calendar. From the new look grass court season to the end-of-season Barclays ATP World Tour Finals there have never been more opportunities to follow top class tennis in Britain.Investment in this area also supports ongoing evolution and development of a national competition structure, increasing the number opportunities for players to compete and earn prize money. The AEGON Pro-Series tournaments, part of the ATP or ITF circuits, are held all over the UK throughout the year. For many players, these events are their first steps on the professional ladder as they aim to progress to the main tours.At a level below this the AEGON British Tour provides many of the Team AEGON and AEGON FutureStars players (those players that are supported financially by the LTA) with the opportunity to compete on the tour and progress to the AEGON Pro-Series events. £19.3MILLION(£16.2 MILLION IN 2010)The increase in investment in major events over 2011 (up by £3.6m from 2010 to £19.8m) is partly due to the staging of three home Davis Cup by BNP Paribas ties. Investment in major eventsIn 2011, six additional tournaments were added to the AEGON British Tour, bringing the total to 35 and providing more players with the chance to play regular competitive ties.LTA Commercial ProgrammeThe last three years have also seen significant progress made on the overall commercial side of the business. Since the full review of the LTA's commercial assets in 2008 a new commercial programme has been put in place. With an established structure of long term partners, sponsors and suppliers there is now more money to invest back into the sport, delivered through a more streamlined group of sponsors that are aligned to the direction of British Tennis.23

MAJOR EVENTS LTA Summer Grass Court events2011 saw the three major events attract strong player fields from all over the world, giving tennis fans in Britain the opportunity to watch top class tennis.At the AEGON Championships record crowds turned up to watch top international players like world No.1 Rafael Nadal, four-time champion Andy Roddick, 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro and the British No.1, Andy Murray.The British contingent certainly didn't disappoint with two players, Andy Murray and James Ward, reaching the semi-finals, a first in the open era. Despite some heavy rain on the Sunday the crowds queued around the block on 'people's Monday' to watch Andy Murray defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a thrilling final. This was Andy's second AEGON Championships title in three years making him the first British player to win more than once at The Queen's Club since Francis Gordon Lowe in 1925.The AEGON Classic, an important fixture on the WTA tour, hosted some of the best talent from the women's game including former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova and rising Chinese star Shuai Peng. British 19 year-old Heather Watson put in a strong performance to reach the last 16, becoming the youngest player in the top 100 in the process. However, it was Sabine Lisicki who triumphed, beating Daniela Hantuchova in a delayed final.The AEGON International, a combined ATP and WTA event, featured 14 of the world's top 20 players, as well as Venus and Serena Williams, who were awarded wild cards for the event. French Open champion Na Li, French Open runner-up Francesca Schiavone, world No.3 Vera Zvonareva and No.5 Victoria Azarenka were also in attendance.The men's line-up included former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt alongside 11 of the world's top 50, including AEGON Championships finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and last year's champion, Michael Llodra.MAJOR EVENTSTennis fans in Britain were treated to another fantastic year of world-class tennis, seeing some of the world's best players competing at tournaments and competitions across the country. Here we take a look at some of the highlights of this year's calendar...24