All the highlights from the second Soho Grand Slam
Taking place at Soho Farmhouse, our tennis weekender included tournaments, talks and Roland-Garros match screenings, in partnership with Lacoste
Tuesday 11 June 2024 By Yasemin Celepi Photography by Chris Bailey
Following the success of last year’s inaugural tennis weekender at Babington House, Soho Grand Slam returned for the second year in a row this month. Held in partnership with Lacoste, we hosted the event at Soho Farmhouse just in time for the finals of the French Open. Among the Oxfordshire countryside, guests enjoyed screenings of the matches, a member tournament, talks with industry insiders, and plenty of strawberries and cream.
The weekend began with coaching sessions for adults and children of all levels, before the singles tournament saw members battling it out across our four tennis courts. The winner received a Soho Grand Slam trophy, prizes courtesy of Lacoste and tickets to Roland-Garros 2025.
On Saturday afternoon, members gathered on the Lazy Lawn to watch the Roland-Garros women’s finals, with live commentary from sports journalist Qasa Alom and presenter Gavin Inskip. This was followed by a talk with Alom and former professional tennis player and coach Pat Cash in the Glasshouse to a packed-out audience. Throughout the day, everyone sipped on tennis-themed drinks including Gin, Set and Match, Match Point Mule and Le Chose (The Thing), a cocktail invented by René Lacoste.
Sunday kicked off with a doubles Soho Grand Slam tournament, before members enjoyed a conversation between Judy Murray OBE and Alom, which saw Murray share her insights on successful training techniques, career progression among young tennis players, and the importance of making the sport fun and accessible for children. In the afternoon, Arum Akom, founder of community tennis programme The Butterfly Tennis Club, hosted children’s masterclasses and we rounded out the weekend with a screening of the men’s singles final of the Roland-Garros tournament.
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Lacoste has partnered with Roland-Garros since 1971 with an iconic range that’s been worn by players, line judges, ball collectors and spectators of the tennis tournament for decades.
