Grand slam winner is on hand to boost bumper week at Ilkley Open

No Norrie, no worry. There'll still be a tennis party at Ilkley this week.

- by Nick Westby

One in which a rising star of the British women's game is invited, and the red carpet is rolled out for a former men's grand slam winner and Wimbledon finalist.

Not to mention a bigger crowd and more hospitality and activities to entertain fans than any of the previous nine incarnations of Yorkshire's great tennis championships in this idyllic part of the world, this year rebranded the Lexus Ilkley Open and given greater status - particularly on the women's side - in the grass court countdown to Wimbledon.

British star Cam Norrie had entered but then went deeper than expected at the French Open, prompting his decision to rest this week rather than discover his game on grass.

But there are plenty of other higher-profile names heading to Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, befitting the tournament's rise in prominence. Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and Wimbledon finalist four years later, is the name that immediately leaps off the entry list. That and British favourite Harriet Dart.

"Cilic is the first grand slam champion we'd have ever hosted at Ilkley, which is fantastic; US Open winner now playing at Ilkley. What a treat," beams Rik Smith, the long-standing tournament director and club member.