WIMBLEDON warm-up tournament The AEGON Ilkley Trophy, which made such an impressive debut last year, is set to be an even bigger hit this year.

The tournament, which attracted almost 200 male and female professional players, will return to the grass courts of Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club on Saturday June 11 to Sunday, July 19.

But as the inaugural tournament hit capacity last year, an additional 400 seats will be available for spectators seeking to watch the next generation of starts battle it out.

And, as happened to men's winner Denis Kudla (United States) and women's winner Anna-Lena Friedsam (Germany), there is the likelihood of a wild-card entry to Wimbledon on the back of winning at Ilkley.

As showed by how players did at SW19 – Kudla and Olga Govortsova both reached the last 16 of their respective singles – the AEGON Ilkley Trophy can also be perfect preparation for Wimbledon.

The biggest tennis tournament in Yorkshire, ILTSC was chosen to host the new ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Women's Pro Tour event because it had the highest-quality grass courts and the most impressive site facilities.

Located on the banks of the River Wharfe, the club has suffered from this winter's dramatic weather, with the grass courts being flooded on two separate occasions, but the on-site team and 30 volunteers have worked around the clock to drain the site and ensure that no lasting damage has been done.

This community spirit will be reinforced by a team of over 150 volunteers, who will be recruited in the coming weeks to serve at the tournament.

Those interested in being involved are invited to attend an information session on Sunday, March 20 (noon-2pm) or contact Carol Cherry on carolcherry26@gmail.com for further details.

The ball crew will once again be made up of almost 100 11 to 15-year-olds from Ilkley Grammar School.

ILTSC chairman Stephen Hepplewhite said: "We are looking forward very much to welcoming the tennis world back to Ilkley this summer when we will be able to show them our site improvements and continued commitment to this most exciting event."

Tournament tickets will be available from March.