Gouache illustration of Devonshire Park
Illustration from Grass Tennis (Dagda Media)

Great grass clubs · Britain

Devonshire Park

Eastbourne, East Sussex · a seaside park since 1874

Eastbourne, East Sussex, United Kingdom · Members club

No. 7, World's Greatest Grass Clubs No. 17, Innovative Grass Clubs Davis Cup or BJK Cup grass venue
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GRASS TENNIS CLUB ★ ★ ★ NO. 7 WORLD'SGREATESTGRASS CLUBS

No. 7, World's Greatest Grass Clubs

The final WTA and ATP preparation venue before Wimbledon. Fifty years of the grass season.

Scores out of 10: Surface Excellence 9, Historical Pedigree 9, Tournament Credentials 10, Scale & Facilities 8, Prestige & Exclusivity 8, Ecosystem Contribution 7.

See the World's Greatest Grass Clubs
GRASS TENNIS CLUB ★ ★ ★ NO. 17 INNOVATIVEGRASS CLUBS

No. 17, Innovative Grass Clubs

A grass venue with sporting breadth

Primary driver: Innovation & Leadership

Read the full ranking and our reasoning

A municipal seaside park, not a private estate, with grass championships since 1881.

Facts

Location
Eastbourne, East Sussex
Opened
1874 as a park; tennis courts from 1879
On the grass
South of England Championships 1881 to 1972; the Eastbourne International since 1974; wheelchair events since 2022
Ownership
A council-owned park, home to the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club
Record
Martina Navratilova, eleven singles titles
Grass courts
20
Season
Members
Address
College Road, Meads, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4JB, United Kingdom
Competitive grass
3 Davis Cup or BJK Cup ties, latest 2010

Why it is special

Devonshire Park opened in 1874 as a cricket ground, and its first tennis courts were marked out in 1879. The South of England Championships were played here from 1881 to 1972, and the Eastbourne tournament, a women’s event first and now a combined one, has run since 1974.

The courts sit on reclaimed land, about thirty centimetres of soil over sandstone, which drains them naturally. Trees, Victorian buildings and the sea close by make it a quintessentially English setting, and they also bring wind and salt air that the grounds team manages with a skill not always recognised.

A redevelopment completed in 2019 renewed the show court and practice courts. Devonshire Park is also exposed to the sea, and its future depends on the coastline it sits beside.

Champions here, 2017 to 2026

Year Men's singles Women's singles
2017 Novak Djokovic Karolína Plíšková
2018 Mischa Zverev Caroline Wozniacki
2019 Taylor Fritz Karolína Plíšková
2020 Not held Not held
2021 Alex de Minaur Jeļena Ostapenko
2022 Taylor Fritz Petra Kvitová
2023 Francisco Cerúndolo Madison Keys
2024 Taylor Fritz Daria Kasatkina
2025 Taylor Fritz Maya Joint
2026 Zizou Bergs Madison Keys

Every champion on the roll: Eastbourne

About the club

Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club has 20 grass courts in the centre of Eastbourne, close to the seafront and surrounded by trees and gardens. The club says its courts are often referred to as the best grass courts in the world, and that many leading players have used them.

It is a members club with organised sessions and events and a new, well-equipped clubhouse. Devonshire Park staged Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone ties on grass, with Great Britain meeting Monaco in 1995, Israel in 2006 and Turkey in a further tie.

More grass tennis in East Sussex

Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club is one of 78 clubs in the Grass Court Atlas for the United Kingdom. The nearest other grass court clubs listed are Meads Lawn Tennis Club (1.4 km), Rye Lawn Tennis and Squash Club (39 km) and St John’s Tennis Club (43 km).

Official website: Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club

Competitive grass record

Dated proof the grass was in match play
Date Competition Tie Result Source
9–11 July Davis Cup, Europe/Africa Zone Gp II Great Britain v Turkey 5–0 Wikipedia
21–23 July 2006 Davis Cup, Europe/Africa Zone Gp I Israel v Great Britain 3–2 Wikipedia
14–16 July 1995 Davis Cup, Europe/Africa Zone Gp II Great Britain v Monaco 5–0 Wikipedia

Photographs

Courts at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club
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