The Birmingham Classic, also called the Rothesay Classic, is a UK-based WTA 250 event. Each season, the competition takes place at the Edgbaston Priory Club. It has been held here since 1982. As a grass-court tournament, many players use the Birmingham Classic as a warm-up to Wimbledon.
In addition, this event is generally held in the week leading up to the famous United Kingdom Grand Slam. Previously, the event was a lower-ranked WTA event. Before 2014, the Birmingham Classic was part of the WTA Internationals tour. However, it achieved higher tournament status in 2014.
Despite its place going up and down the WTA tournament categories, the Birmingham Classic is regarded as an esteemed tennis event. As a result, some of the best-ever WTA players have achieved great success in the competition. The famous Billie Jean King won the first-ever event in 1982 and repeated her title win in 1983.
However, her compatriot Pam Shriver won the next four editions between 1984 and 1987. No player has ever beaten Shriver’s four title wins. But some elite-level players have won the Birmingham Classic multiple times throughout their careers.
Martina Navratilova, Lori McNeil, Maria Sharapova, and Petra Kvitova have all won the tournament twice. A doubles draw also takes place at the Rothesay Open each season, with 16 pairs competing in the draw.
Former Zimbabwe player Cara Black is the all-time doubles record holder with four titles. She won her first in 2001 before returning to notch three consecutive Birmingham Classic wins between 2008 and 2010.
