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76-620: The tournament is played on the green clay courts at LTP-Daniel Island (which contains the 10,200-seat Credit One Stadium) on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina , US. From its inception in 1973 to 2000, the tournament was held at the Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island with the exception of 1975 and 1976 when it was played on Amelia Island off the coast of Florida . The event moved to Charleston, and specifically Daniel Island, in 2001. From 1973 to 2015,

152-614: A Digital Media Centre. Many creative and media businesses have thrived in the region. As part of a 2002 marketing campaign , the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the foxglove as the county flower . Financial and business service companies with operations in Leicestershire include Alliance & Leicester , Cambridge & Counties Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland , State Bank of India , HSBC , and PricewaterhouseCoopers . Pension provision company Mattioli Woods employs 170 people at its Grove Park, Enderby, HQ and has

228-527: A clay court. In Britain, where En-Tout-Cas is based, most red clay courts have a surface dressing of burnt shale (with or without brick) for improving drainage. However, shale courts are now comparatively rare, having been steadily replaced in many clubs by all-weather synthetic surfaces (including artificial clay). The few courts that remain tend to be found in industrial areas such as central Scotland and Lancashire , as shale – known as blaes in Scotland –

304-607: A fox under a cinquefoil – both symbols often associated with Leicestershire. The design was officiated in July 2021 and was England's last historic county to have a flag registered. The River Soar together with its tributaries and canalisations constitutes the principal river basin of the county, although the River Avon and River Welland through Harborough and along the county's southern boundaries are also significant. The Soar rises between Hinckley and Lutterworth , towards

380-535: A player to deliver an unreturnable shot. Points are usually longer as there are fewer winners . Clay courts favor baseliners who are consistent and have a strong defensive game, leading to players such as Rafael Nadal , Björn Borg , Chris Evert , and Justine Henin finding success at the French Open. Players who excel on clay courts but struggle to replicate the same form on fast courts are known as clay-court specialists . Clay-court players generally play in

456-621: A product, and by the 1920s the company was responsible for laying clay courts for the Davis Cup and at the French , British and Canadian Championships. During the following decade the American engineer H. A. Robinson went still further, creating a surface based on classic clay augmented with green piled metabasalt rock, which he hoped would help deliver a more consistent bounce. This became known as Har-Tru, derived from Robinson's initials and

532-531: A reputation for employing graduates directly from Leicestershire Universities. Companies that have their head office in the area include Next (clothing) , and British Gas Business. The European Association of Trade Mark Owners, and the Point of Purchase Advertising International (POPAI) are based in Leicestershire. Key stakeholders promoting economic development formed Leicester & Leicestershire Economic Partnership in 2011. Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce

608-405: A semicircle about 1.5 to 3 metres (5 to 10 feet) behind the baseline. Clay courts favor the "full western grip " for more topspin . Clay court players use topspins to throw off their opponents. Movement on the loose surface is very different from movement on any other surface, often involving sliding toward the incoming ball while preparing for the return stroke. Clay courts are unique in that

684-403: A string of successes on other surfaces—including completing a Double Career Grand Slam and a Career Golden Slam —led to a broadening of his reputation. 2016 French Open winner Garbiñe Muguruza reached the 2015 Wimbledon final and won the 2017 Wimbledon title. The professional clay court season comprises many more tournaments than the brief grass court season, but is still shorter than

760-503: Is a constituent element of colliery waste and thus can be easily and cheaply sourced in such locations. Shale courts tend to be a lighter shade of red than European clay courts. Aside from crushed brick and shale, other surfaces have also been used as a substitute for natural red clay. In Queensland and New South Wales , courts made from crushed ant hill mounds (known as "ant bed" or "dirt" courts) can occasionally be found; these are similar in appearance to standard red clay courts, as

836-458: Is a tennis player who excels on clay courts, more than on any other surface. Due in part to advances in racquet technology, current clay-court specialists are known for employing long, winding groundstrokes that generate heavy topspin; such strokes are less effective on faster surfaces on which the balls do not bounce as high. Clay-court specialists tend to slide more effectively on clay than other players. Many of them are also very adept at hitting

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912-676: Is another good source for business advice. The Leicestershire Business Awards has categories including Investing in Leicestershire, Contribution to the Community, and Entrepreneur of the Year. Recent Leicestershire winners of the Queen's Award for Enterprise are listed on the Lord Lieutenant's website . This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire and Rutland (it does not include

988-608: Is catered for by award-winning Indian restaurants – for instance the vegetable samosas approved by the Vegetarian Society sold at The Sharmilee on Belgrave Road in the Belgrave area of Leicester . The growing market for Indian food has afforded new opportunities to long-standing local companies, for example the Long Clawson dairy, a co-operative manufacturer of Stilton (cheese) now also makes Paneer cheese used in

1064-593: Is entirely in Europe, and usually takes place in July. Near the end of the swing, it overlaps with the beginning of the US Open Series . Leicestershire Leicestershire ( / ˈ l ɛ s t ər ʃ ɪər , - ʃ ər / LEST -ər-sheer, -⁠shər ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire , Nottinghamshire , and Lincolnshire to

1140-614: Is in Lutterworth. De Montfort University has, in the form of its Fashion and Contour Design course a leading design department for female underwear. It also has the only UK University courses in Footwear Design providing future designers for local shoemakers Shoefayre, Stead and Simpson, and Shoe Zone , who all have their headquarters in the county. Gola also originates from the county. University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust employs around 11,000 at its three hospitals in

1216-533: Is located at the county's northernmost tip close to Bottesford where the River Devon flowing through the Vale of Belvoir leaves Leicestershire and enters Nottinghamshire. The population of Leicestershire (excluding Leicester Unitary Authority) is 609,578 people (2001 census). The county covers an area of 2,084 km (805 sq mi). Its largest population centre is the city of Leicester , followed by

1292-682: Is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis is played. Clay courts are built on a foundation of crushed stone, brick, shale, and other aggregate , with a thin layer of fine clay particles on top. Clay courts are more common in Continental Europe and Latin America than in North America, Asia-Pacific or Britain. The only Grand Slam tournament that uses clay courts is the French Open . Clay courts come in

1368-460: Is packed to make the court, with the top most layers consisting of finely crushed loose particles. Such courts are most common in Europe and Latin America. The exact color of the surface varies with the composition of the bricks used, and can appear from a light yellow to a deep red. Natural clay courts are rare because this type of surface does not absorb water easily and takes two to three days to dry. A good example of natural red clay can be seen at

1444-548: Is the long spring clay season that starts in the Americas and Morocco before moving to mainland Europe and finishing with the French Open. It is usually played over two months between April and June, after the Miami Open . Unlike the other two clay seasons, this swing does not share the majority of its time with simultaneous hard court tournaments. The third is the brief summer clay season that takes place after Wimbledon. It

1520-523: The British Asian community is made here – for example the shop Saree Mandir sells silk saree 's and salwar suits for women whose design patterns closely follow contemporary Indian trends. The Knitting Industries' Federation continues to be based in Leicestershire. On the creative side the design centre for next is headquartered in Enderby, and the design centre for George Clothing (Asda/Walmart)

1596-546: The M1 in north-west Leicestershire, and is the second largest freight airport in the United Kingdom after London Heathrow. DHL Aviation have a large purpose-built facility at EMA, and courier companies UPS and TNT also use the airport as a base. Lufthansa Cargo is also a regular user of East Midlands, and the airport is a primary hub for Royal Mail . The M1 is Leicestershire's other important transport hub. The start of

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1672-656: The M6 , and part of the A14 briefly intersect with the southern tip of Leicestershire. Many large retail companies have huge warehouses at the Magna Park complex near Lutterworth. The Widdowson Group make use of J21a of the M1 to provide warehousing, transportation, freight forwarding, garage services and LGV/HGV training. Pall-Ex of Ellistown provide automated palletised freight distribution services from their location off Junction 22 of

1748-778: The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) have their head offices in Leicestershire. Pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical instrument manufacturing companies include 3M , Bridgehead International in Melton, Fisher Scientific in Loughborough, and Ashfield Healthcare in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Transportation links are good. East Midlands Airport is one mile (1.6 km) south of Castle Donington, next to

1824-466: The county borough status of Leicester city and the county status of neighbouring Rutland , converting both to administrative districts of Leicestershire. These actions were reversed on 1 April 1997, when Rutland and the City of Leicester became unitary authorities. Rutland became a distinct Ceremonial County once again, although it continues to be policed by Leicestershire Constabulary . The symbol of

1900-932: The drop shot , which can be effective because rallies on clay courts often leave players pushed far beyond the baseline. Additionally, the slow, long rallies require a great degree of mental focus and physical stamina. The definition of "clay-court specialist" has varied. Anthony Wilding, Sergi Bruguera , Albert Costa and Gastón Gaudio were French Open champions who won all or nearly all of their career titles on clay. Andrés Gimeno , Adriano Panatta , Manuel Orantes , Yannick Noah , Michael Chang , Thomas Muster, Gustavo Kuerten , Carlos Moyá and Juan Carlos Ferrero won major titles only on clay, but won lower tournaments, including Masters Series events, on other surfaces. Among female players, there have been few whose best results were confined exclusively to clay. Virginia Ruzici , Anastasia Myskina , Iva Majoli , Sue Barker , Ana Ivanovic , Francesca Schiavone and Jeļena Ostapenko are

1976-506: The point where Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire meet. The geographical centre of England is in Leicestershire, near Fenny Drayton in the southwest of the county. In 2013, the Ordnance Survey calculated that the point was on land at Lindley Hall Farm. An alternative point at Meriden , around 10 miles (16 km) to the southwest, had been considered the traditional centre for more than 500 years. A large part of

2052-645: The 'true' nature of the bounce experienced on the court. First used in Hagerstown, Maryland , in 1932, green Har-Tru clay soon became the preferred surface for American clay court tournaments. In later years, the Har-Tru company would go on to develop all-weather clay surfaces at its factory in Charlottesville, Virginia , that could be played on throughout the entire year. Almost all red clay courts are now made not of natural clay but of crushed brick that

2128-1676: The 1820s until 1986. Abbey Pumping Station houses four enormous steam powered beam engines built in Leicester in the 1890s in the Vulcan factory owned by Josiah Gimson, whose son Ernest Gimson was an influential furniture designer and architect of the English Arts and Crafts movement . Engineering companies today include sports car makers Noble Automotive Ltd in Barwell and Ultima Sports Ltd in Hinckley, Triumph Motorcycles in Hinckley , Jones & Shipman (machine tools), Caterpillar Redford (Plant machinery), Plant manufacturers Metalfacture Ltd (sheet metal work), Richards Engineering (foundry equipment), Transmon Engineering (materials handling equipment), Trelleborg Industrial AVS in Beaumont Leys (industrial suspension components), Parker Plant (quarrying equipment), Aggregate Industries UK (construction materials), Infotec in Ashby-de-la-Zouch (electronic information display boards), Alstec in Whetstone, Leicestershire (airport baggage handling systems), and Brush Traction (railway locomotives) in Loughborough . There are also consultancies (including Pick Everard ) in Leicestershire supporting engineering and

2204-604: The British Pantry (near Washington, D.C.). Leicester and Leicestershire has had a traditional industry of knitwear , hosiery and footwear , and the sheep on the county's coat of arms is recognition of this. The local manufacturing industry, which began with hand knitting in the Middle Ages, and was fully industrialised by the end of the 19th century, survived until the end of the 20th century through retailers buying UK sourced products, and government measures such as

2280-470: The French Open (1976–78), to participate in World Team Tennis . She also has the highest career win percentage on clay courts (94.55%) during the open era. The most successful currently active female player on clay is Iga Świątek , who won the French Open in 2020 , 2022 , 2023 , and 2024 . In 2022 and 2024, Świątek won three titles and lost only one match on clay. A clay-court specialist

2356-539: The Frick Park Clay Courts in Pittsburgh , a public facility of six red clay courts that has been in continual use since 1930. Sports surface providers such as En-Tout-Cas still offer red clay surfaces with a coarser top layer to improve drainage. These courts are particularly popular in southern Australian states such as Victoria , where the phrase 'En-Tout-Cas' is a common generic shorthand for

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2432-749: The Indian dish Mattar Paneer . Leicestershire food exported abroad includes cheese from the Long Clawson dairy, which is sold in supermarkets in Canada and the United States via a network of distributors coordinated by Taunton-based company Somerdale. Belvoir Fruit Farms cordials and pressé drinks are sold on the United States east coast in Wegmans Food Markets , World Market , Harris Teeter , Dean & DeLuca , and in specialised British food stores such as Myers of Keswick (New York City), and

2508-767: The M1. The Midland Main Line provides important connections to Yorkshire and London, and the Birmingham–Stansted Line is essentially Leicestershire's east–west connection from Hinckley to Melton. Ibstock -based developer Wilson Bowden was bought in 2007 by Barratt Developments plc in a £2.2 billion deal. Charles Street Buildings (Leicester) and Jelson Homes are two other successful Leicester-based property companies. Hamilton-based Sofidel Group manufactures more than 600 million toilet rolls and kitchen towel rolls per year in its Leicestershire factories. Toy car company Corgi have their European operation at

2584-548: The Meridian Business Park, although the toys are now manufactured in China and the company is owned by Margate-based Hornby . Leicestershire is twinned with Kilkenny , Ireland. Leicester's Cultural Quarter is an ambitious plan to drive the regeneration of a large run-down area of the city. It has delivered: a new venue for the performing arts, Curve; creative workspaces for artists and designers, LCB Depot; and

2660-715: The US Open in 1977 while it was held on clay. Thomas Muster is also considered a successful clay court player; although he also only won the French Open once, 40 out of his 44 career singles titles were won on clay. Other notable players who had significant success on clay include Ivan Lendl and Björn Borg - the former winning the French Open in 1984, 1986, and 1987, while the latter won it 6 times. While often overshadowed by Nadal's clay successes due to being contemporaries, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic also were known for being extremely formidable on clay courts throughout their careers and had significant successes. Federer made

2736-542: The Vulcan Operating Company. Leicestershire has a long history of livestock farming which continues today. Robert Bakewell (1725–1795) of Dishley, near Loughborough, was a revolutionary in the field of selective breeding. Bakewell's Leicester Longwool sheep was much prized by farmers across the British Empire and is today a heritage breed admired. Commercial and rare breeds associated with

2812-515: The Warwickshire border south of Hinckley and flows north through Leicester and Loughborough before reaching the Trent at the county boundary. To the west of the river is Charnwood Forest , an upland area which contains Bardon Hill, which at 278 m (912 ft) is the county's highest point. There are prehistoric earthworks in the county, and Leicester was a Roman settlement. The region

2888-493: The ant hill "loam" or grit is pinky-brown in color. Top Australian competitors such as Mal Anderson , Roy Emerson and Rod Laver , who all grew up in Queensland, practiced on ant bed courts when they were young. Green clay, also known by brand names such as Har-Tru and Rubico, is made of crushed metabasalt rather than brick, making the surface slightly harder and faster than red clay. These courts are located primarily in

2964-428: The ball bounce leaves an impression in the ground, which can help determine whether a shot was in or out. Furthermore, clay courts are still playable in light rain because the courts are meant to be slightly wet when played on and the surface absorbs water better than hard courts and grass courts. This is opposed to hard courts and grass courts where play is usually suspended almost immediately during even light rain. In

3040-462: The bounce on these courts was often irregular, the surface dried slowly after rain had fallen, and the courts could not be used in winter months for fear of damage. In 1909, the newly-established Leicestershire firm En-Tout-Cas (translated roughly into English as "in all conditions") came up with a prototype court made from crushed brick and burnt shale that could drain much more quickly than standard clay courts. These proved very popular once offered as

3116-531: The built environment. Local commitment to nurturing the upcoming cadre of British engineers includes apprenticeship schemes with local companies, and academic-industrial connections with the engineering departments at Leicester University , De Montfort University , and Loughborough University . The Systems Engineering Innovation Centre and Centre for Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies are both based at Loughborough University . Private sector research and development organisations include PERA –

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3192-521: The city and county includes popular British fish and chip shop pie Pukka Pies who are based in Syston. Walkers Midshire Foods, part of the Samworth Brothers group, makes sausages and pies in its Beaumont Leys factories. Samworth Brothers has operations in Leicestershire and Cornwall ( Ginsters ), making a range of products from sandwiches to desserts for UK retailers under their brands as well

3268-739: The city and county, the Glenfield , the General and the Royal Infirmary . Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust employs over 5,500 staff providing mental health, learning disability and community health services in the city and county. These services are commissioned by the three Clinical Commissioning Groups, led by local GPs. The British Psychological Society , the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) based in Wigston, and

3344-809: The company's own portfolio of brands including Dickinson & Morris, producers of pork pies and Melton Hunt Cake. Walkers crisps are made in Beaumont Leys using Lincolnshire potatoes. United Biscuits have their distribution centre in Ashby-de-la-Zouch as well as a snacks factory and they also have a biscuit factory in Wigston. The Masterfoods UK factory at Melton Mowbray produces petfood. Hand made chocolates are produced by Chocolate Perfection in Ashby-de-la-Zouch . Some 15 major Indian food manufacturers are based in Leicester including Sara Foods, Mayur Foods, Cofresh Snack Foods Ltd, Farsan, Apni Roti, and Spice n Tice. The 'Mithai' Indian sweet market

3420-458: The county council, Leicestershire County Cricket Club and Leicester City FC , is the fox . Leicestershire is considered to be the birthplace of fox hunting as it is known today. Hugo Meynell , who lived in Quorn , is known as the father of fox hunting. Melton Mowbray and Market Harborough have associations with fox hunting, as has neighbouring Rutland. The flag of Leicestershire features

3496-490: The county is largely rural, and the next-largest settlements are Loughborough (65,000), Hinckley (50,000), and Coalville (22,000). For local government purposes Leicestershire comprises a non-metropolitan county , with seven districts, and the unitary authority area of Leicester. Leicestershire is generally a lowland county, characterised by small, rolling hills. It is bisected by the River Soar , which rises near

3572-495: The county's legal name was "Leicester" rather than "Leicestershire", although the latter form was in common usage. In legal contexts the county was usually referred to as the "County of Leicester" where necessary to distinguish between the city and the county. In 1969 the government formally changed the county's name to Leicestershire at the county council's request. In 1974, the Local Government Act 1972 abolished

3648-691: The county, Long Clawson and the Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Company. All-natural non-alcoholic fruit cordials and pressed drinks are made by Belvoir Fruit Farms and sold in supermarkets across Britain. Swithland Spring Water is sourced from the Charnwood hills. Breweries in Leicestershire and Rutland are listed on the Leicester CAMRA website. The county's largest beer brewer is Everards , and there are several microbreweries. Various markets are held across

3724-553: The county. Leicester Market is the largest outdoor covered marketplace in Europe and among the products on sale are fruit and vegetables sold by market stallholders, and fresh fish and meat in the Indoor Market. The annual East Midlands Food & Drink Festival held in Melton Mowbray had over 200 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors attending in 2007 making it the largest British regional food festival. Food processing in

3800-517: The descendants of Bakewell's sheep include the English Leicester , Border Leicester , Bluefaced Leicester, Scotch mule, and Welsh halfbred. The Leicestershire County Show is held on the first Bank Holiday in May each year and includes animal showings, trade exhibitions, and show jumping. Melton Mowbray Market is an important regional livestock market. Field sports remain an important part of

3876-683: The division of Goscote into West Goscote and East Goscote , and the addition of Sparkenhoe hundred. In 1087, the first recorded use of the name was as Lægrecastrescir . Leicestershire's external boundaries have changed little since the Domesday Survey. The Measham - Donisthorpe exclave of Derbyshire has been exchanged for the Netherseal area, and the urban expansion of Market Harborough has caused Little Bowden , previously in Northamptonshire to be annexed. Until 1969,

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3952-448: The event. From 1990 to 2008, the tournament was classified as a WTA Tier I event. In 2009, it was downgraded to a WTA Premier tournament. It celebrated its 40th year in 2012 by naming its main stadium court in honor of Billie Jean King . With the reorganization of the WTA's schedule in 2021, the tournament became a WTA 500 tournament . The 2021 second tournament held the week afterwards

4028-441: The factory could not keep up with this eruption in demand. Courts covered in a top layer of brick dust thereafter became the norm in many Mediterranean and South American countries, as they were not only durable in summer but did not need to be tended and mowed, as grass courts did (although they did require regular maintenance involving rolling, "dragging", and occasional watering). Yet further improvements were still imperative, as

4104-405: The final of the French Open every year from 2006 to 2009, finally winning the last one in the sequence, while Djokovic has won the title 3 times (2016, 2021, 2023), beating Nadal en route to the title in 2021. Federer is also notable for ending Nadal's 81 match win streak on clay courts in 2007 at the 2007 Hamburg Masters. On the women's side, Monica Seles , Justine Henin and Iga Swiatek hold

4180-498: The hard court seasons. There are three distinct clay court seasons during the year. The first is the men's South American clay season. Played primarily in February between the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Masters , the ATP has four tournaments in this swing, although other ATP tournaments played on hardcourt occur the same weeks. The WTA discontinued its participation in Rio de Janeiro after 2016, so there are no clay court women's tournaments during this period. The second

4256-413: The invention of the English tennis player William Renshaw (a seven times Wimbledon champion) and his twin brother Ernest . The Renshaws had built a grass court at their summer home on the French Riviera , but found it unable to withstand prolonged exposure to heat and sunlight. To remedy this, in 1890 William Renshaw decided that the court should be covered with a fine powder that would protect it from

4332-438: The mid-Atlantic and southern United States. They are also found in Central and Eastern Canada. There is one WTA tournament played on green Har-Tru clay courts, the Charleston Open in Charleston, South Carolina . From 1975 until 1977, the US Open was played on Har-Tru clay courts. The US Men's Clay Court Championships are played on clay that has a maroon color. Not only is this a darker color than other clay courts used in

4408-479: The more common red clay , which is actually crushed brick , and the slightly harder green clay , also known as "rubico", which is actually crushed metabasalt . Although slightly less expensive to construct than other types of tennis courts, clay requires much maintenance: the surface must be watered and rolled regularly to preserve texture and flatness, and brushed carefully before each game. Clay courts, although now commonly associated with continental Europe, were

4484-727: The most rapidly expanding villages is Anstey , which has recently seen many development schemes. Engineering has long been an important part of the economy of Leicestershire. John Taylor Bellfounders continues a history of bellfounding in Loughborough since the 14th century. In 1881 John Taylors cast the largest bell in Britain, "Great Paul", for St Paul's Cathedral in London. Norman & Underwood have been making sand cast sheet lead roofing and stained glass since 1825 working on many of England's major cathedrals and historic buildings, including Salisbury Cathedral, Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court Palace, and Chatsworth House. There were three coal mines that operated in Coalville from

4560-409: The north and west of the county was exploited. Leicester became known for shoemaking, and with Loughborough continues to be a manufacturing centre. In agriculture the county is known for Stilton cheese and Melton Mowbray pork pies . Leicestershire was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) in four wapentakes : Guthlaxton , Framland , Goscote , and Gartree . These later became hundreds , with

4636-450: The north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, and Staffordshire to the west. The city of Leicester is the largest settlement and the county town . The county has an area of 2,156 km (832 sq mi) and a population of 712,300. Leicester occupies the centre of the county and is by far the largest settlement, with a built-up area population of 357,000. The remainder of

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4712-477: The north-west of the county, around Coalville , forms part of the new National Forest area extending into Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The highest point of the county is Bardon Hill at 278 m (912 ft), which is also a Marilyn ; with other hilly/upland areas of c. 150–200 metres (490–660 ft) and above in nearby Charnwood Forest and also to the east of the county around Launde Abbey . The lowest point, at an altitude of about 20 metres (66 ft),

4788-399: The only female players to have won major titles at only the French Open since the beginning of the open era. Increasingly, clay courters have attempted to play better on other surfaces, with some success. Ferrero reached the final of the US Open in 2003 , the same year he won the French Open , and also won several hardcourt tournaments. Nadal was considered a clay court specialist until

4864-520: The open era record for the number of consecutive French Open titles won at three (1990–1992 for Seles, 2005–2007 for Henin and 2022–2024 for Swiatek). In the pre-open era this feat was first achieved by Helen Wills Moody (1928–1930) and followed by Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling (1935–1937). Chris Evert holds the record for longest winning streak on clay for either gender in the open era: from August 1973 to May 1979, she won 125 consecutive clay court matches. During this time, Evert skipped three editions of

4940-442: The pre-open era Anthony Wilding is particularly notable for his achievements on clay courts. Starting in May 1910 at the Championship of South Africa and ending in June 1914 at the World Hard Court Championships he registered 120 consecutive clay court match victories. Rafael Nadal, winner of a record 14 French Open men's singles titles , is noted for his success on clay; since his debut in 2005, he has only lost four times at

5016-407: The professional game, but it is also a type of Har-Tru court, meaning it is actually composed of the same substance (basalt) as green clay courts, and not a type of red clay. Har-Tru market this kind of court as "American red clay". Clay courts are considered "slow" because the balls bounce relatively high and lose much of their initial speed when contacting the surface, making it more difficult for

5092-502: The protection of the Multi Fibre Arrangement which ended in 2004. Cheaper global competition, coupled with the 1999 slump in the UK fashion retail sector, led to the end of much of the cheaper clothing manufacturing industry. Today Leicestershire companies focus on high quality clothing and speciality textiles. Other local companies manufacture knitwear such as Commando Knitwear of Wigston, and others specialise in technical textiles for industrial or medical purposes. Clothing and fabric for

5168-548: The rural economy of Leicestershire, with stables, kennels, and gunsmiths based in the county. Stilton and Red Leicester cheeses and the pork pie are the three most famous contributions to English cuisine from Leicestershire. Leicestershire food producers include Claybrooke mill, one of the very few commercially working watermills left in Britain producing a range of over 40 flours; meat from rare and minority breeds from Brockleby's; and Christmas turkey and goose from Seldom Seen Farm. Two dairies produce Red Leicester cheese in

5244-414: The south of the county near the Warwickshire border, and flows northwards, bisecting the county along its north–south axis, through 'Greater' Leicester and then to the east of Loughborough where its course within the county comes to an end. It continues north marking the boundary with Nottinghamshire in the Borough of Rushcliffe for some 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) before joining the River Trent at

5320-411: The sun's rays. This powder was sourced from discarded terracotta discovered at a small ceramics factory in Vallauris , near Cannes , where the brothers regularly purchased decorative pots for their garden. Success with the new surface came quickly: after only a year or two, it was reported that 104 clay courts had been built in Cannes alone. Brick powder soon replaced the Vallauris terracotta pots, as

5396-431: The technology based consultancy in Melton Mowbray, and MIRA – the automotive research and development centre based on the outskirts of Hinckley. Automotive and aerospace engineers use the test facilities at Mallory Park , and Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome and proving ground. On 18 October 2007, the last airworthy Avro Vulcan was flown from Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome after 10 years of restoration there by aerospace engineers of

5472-459: The title sponsor was Family Circle magazine, which had made it the longest-running title sponsor in professional tennis. Volvo Cars took over sponsorship from 2016 to 2021. Credit One Bank became the title sponsor of both the tournament and stadium in July 2021. Also in 2021, two tournaments were organised in consecutive weeks as a makeup tournament for those cancelled by pandemic restrictions. The Medical University of South Carolina sponsored

5548-547: The tournament – in 2009 , 2015 , 2021 and 2024 . Nadal holds the record for the longest winning streak by any male player on a single surface since the Open Era began in 1968: 81 clay court wins between April 2005 and May 2007. He also holds the record for most clay court titles in the Open Era, with 63. Guillermo Vilas won 49 of his 62 singles titles on clay. He only won a single French Open title, although he also won

5624-477: The town of Loughborough . Other large towns include Ashby-de-la-Zouch , Coalville, Hinckley , Lutterworth , Market Harborough , Melton Mowbray , Oadby , Shepshed and Wigston . Some of the larger of villages are: Burbage (population estimated around 16,500 in 2014), Birstall (population 11,400 in 2004), Broughton Astley , Castle Donington , Kibworth Beauchamp (along with Kibworth Harcourt), Great Glen , Ibstock , Countesthorpe and Kegworth . One of

5700-607: Was part of the WTA 250 tournaments list. The current champion is Danielle Collins , who won the singles tournament in April 2024. Because of an ongoing pandemic, the tournament in 2020 was reformatted into a Laver Cup style team tournament. Each team captain's name in BOLD and listed first. 32°51′41″N 79°54′13″W  /  32.86139°N 79.90361°W  / 32.86139; -79.90361 Clay court A clay court

5776-835: Was settled by the Angles in the sixth century and became part of the Kingdom of Mercia , and the county existed at the time of the Domesday Survey in the 1080s. The county has had a relatively settled existence, however it was the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, which established the Tudor dynasty's position as monarchs of England. During the Industrial Revolution the Leicestershire coalfield in

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