Eastbourne International: Start date, how to watch, past winners, history & more

With Wimbledon fast approaching, the penultimate event of the short UK grass season takes place in Eastbourne as both the ATP and WTA Tours descend on the south coast for the Eastbourne International.

While most of the big names generally opt to keep their powder dry on the eve of a Grand Slam, others prefer a warm-up event and given the truncated nature of the grass campaign, several often arrive on the Eastbourne turf with minimal grass matches under their belts.

American stars Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul will join a number of British contenders in the ATP draw for the 2024 event, while the women's tournament will be headlined by 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, fitness permitting.

Eastbourne International dates

Qualifying for the Eastbourne International starts on Saturday, 22nd June with the main-draw action beginning on Monday, 24th June. Both the men's and women's finals are due to take place on Sunday, 30th June.

Eastbourne International venue

The Eastbourne International has been staged at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, East Sussex, since 1974, which means that the 2024 event will mark 50 years of the International - although there was no tournament in 1977 or 2020.

Originally intended for use as a cricket ground, Devonshire Park first staged the South of England Championships, a precursor to the International, which ran from 1881 to 1972.

Devonshire Park underwent a £44million LTA upgrade in 2016 and the stadium court now has an 8,000-seat capacity.

Eastbourne International how to watch

All Eastbourne International matches will be available to watch live on bet365's Live Streaming Service.

Eastbourne International favourites

High-class American duo Fritz and Paul are among the leading contenders, while all eyes from a British perspective would have been on Jack Draper, who won the Stuttgart title last weekend before making a decent run at Queen's Club.

Draper's busy schedule saw him withdraw from Eastbourne, as he won't want to jeopardise his chances of going far at Wimbledon.

Last season's surprise champion Francisco Cerundolo returns in an attempt to defend the men's title, while Alexander Bublik and Jiri Lehecka are among the other notable contenders.

The women's event features added stardust, with Rybakina joined by a US trio of Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins and Madison Keys, as well as French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini.

Dual Nottingham champion Katie Boulter is among a number of British challengers, while the biggest name on the entry list sits further down the rankings in the form of Naomi Osaka, who has accepted a wildcard into the tournament.

Eastbourne International history

The Eastbourne International began as the South England Championships before taking on its current moniker in 1974.

Originally a WTA-only event, an ATP Tour tournament was added in 2009. The tournament is currently a WTA 500 event and an ATP 250 Series event.

Played on grass, Eastbourne is generally considered to be the final warm-up event before Wimbledon, which typically takes place in the first two weeks of July.

There was no men's event between 2015 and 2016, but the tournament was restored for 2017 when the Nottingham Open was downgraded to Challenger Tour status.

Eastbourne International past winners

The men's tournament has been claimed by some big names since it was created in 2009, none more so than Novak Djokovic, who won the Eastbourne title in 2017 before going on to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Dmitry Tursanov won the inaugural men's tournament and Cerundolo triumphed in three sets in last season's final, beating Paul 6-4 1-6 6-4 to claim his second ATP Tour title.

Two men have won the title twice - Spain's Feliciano Lopez won in 2013 and successfully defended the following season, while Fritz was champion in both 2019 and 2022.

The women's event has a much more storied history and one name dominates the list of winners with Martina Navratilova winning the WTA Eastbourne singles crown no fewer than 11 times.

Virginia Wade remains the sole British winner of either the men's or women's title.

Chris Evert (three times), Monica Seles, Jana Novotna, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin and Caroline Wozniacki are among a host of high-profile women to have claimed the crown.