Heather Watson and Katie Boulter awarded Nature Valley Classic Birmingham wild cards

The wildcards give Watson and Boulter the chance to compete alongside Johanna Konta, reigning Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza, defending Birmingham and two-time winner Petra Kvitova, world No.5 Elina Svitolina, world No.7 Karolina Pliskova and a host of world-class players in the 32-player main draw.

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the prestigious tournament, but Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard is set to take part in the qualifying rounds as she hopes to secure a spot in the main draw.

”I relish every chance I get to play on grass in front of the British fans because they turn every match into a special occasion." Watson said.

"I've been coming to Birmingham for a long time and I really enjoy the tournament and the city. It's been great to see the event grow and become bigger and bigger over the years. I'm excited to part of it and I'm going to do my best to make the most of this opportunity."

Twenty-six-year-old Watson, from Guernsey, is currently ranked 80 in singles with three career WTA titles to her name, and has been ranked as high as 38 in the world in singles.

Boulter, from Woodhouse Eaves in Leicestershire, has enjoyed the best week of her career so far at the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham, where she beat former US Open champion Samantha Stosur to reach her first WTA quarter-final.

“This is so exciting for me and an amazing opportunity, which I’m really grateful for." She said.

"For me to be able to compete with the world’s best players is a massive thrill and really important for my development as a player. The crowd support in Nottingham has been amazing and I can’t wait to get out there again in front of my home crowd again next week!”