Stella Artois From the Brewery to the Tennis Court

If you have your eyes glued on Youtube, you may want to check out the unique and entertaining Stella Artois beer ads. The Stella Artois company first brewed their lager beer in Leuven, Belgium and their history dates way back from 1366. This is the same company which sponsors the Artois tennis championships games which are held annually for male tennis players. Currently known as the Artois Championships, the Queen's Club Championships is a much awaited event held at the Queen's Club in London. The Artois tennis championships are included with the International Series, as a part of the ATP or the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour.

The event is held annually, on the month of June on the week right after the French Open. The Stella Artois tennis championships have several categories, including the singles finals, doubles finals and the Junior Championship Finals. In the 1999 Artois Championships, Pete Sampras won over Tim Henman with a 4-6, 6-1 and 6-4 score in final. Boris Becker was the youngest winner who was only 17 when he grabbed the coveted championship title in 1985, while Jimmy Connors is the oldest at the age of 30 when he won in 1983. John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick all won on consecutive years. For the year 2007, Andy Roddick won over Nicolas Mahut with a 4-6, 7-6 and 7-6 score in final.

The Stella Artois tennis championships consist of several events for the Junior Championship, including the HSBC Junior Invitation Cup, the David Lloyd Leisure Cup and the Sam Whitbread Cup. So far, tennis player John McEnroe holds the most number of titles, with four singles and one doubles win under his name.

For 2008, the Artois Championships will be held from June 9 to June 15 at the Queens Club in West Kensington, London. The Centre Court can hold almost 6,500 spectators so tennis aficionados can be easily accommodated in the venue.