In conversation with the mastermind of the ultimate pre-Wimbledon garden party

As Patricio Apey wound his way along the road that lures you into Stoke Park, he knew he had found his perfect venue.

It was back in 2002 that Apey formed a vision of an event that would serve as a platform for the tennis players he was managing to transition from the clay courts of Paris and the French Open into the grass court season that culminates each year with the Wimbledon Championships.

Finding a home for this ambitious project was a task former Chilean Davis Cup player Apey took on with relish and as he reflects on the story of an event that has become known as The Boodles for the regulars who attend each year, he concedes the scale of the event has exceeded even his own expectations.

“In truth, The Boodles was an accident of an idea,” begins Patricio. “My day job is to manage athletes and I knew that if they could do well at Wimbledon, I would be able to do well for them.

“At the time, I was working with a lot of clay court players and they needed to transition to the grass court season, so we needed an event before Wimbledon to help them to do that.

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“We started looking at venues all over Buckinghamshire and Surrey and when we came across Stoke Park, we knew it was right.

“When I drove in, I had that ‘wow’ moment. Stoke Park takes your breath away as you drive up the road and reach the main house and from that moment, I knew this was the only place we could do this.

“Wewe were then introduced to the owners of Boodles the jewellers and that afternoon, we had an offer from them and the event started to become a reality.

“That first year, it was more like an extended family dinner. We had 400-500 people in attendance, but we knew we had something special and after that, we brought on other sponsors like Patek Philippe and Bentley and the event expanded rapidly.”

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios are just some of the superstar names that have played on the Stoke Park courts over the course of the last two decades, with Patricio admitting the story of The Boodles has been a fairytale that became a glorious reality.

Tennis super-agent Patricio Apey speaks to Tennis365 (Ben Hoskins for The Boodles)

“We wanted the idea of a British garden party in the summer sunshine and Boodles is the ultimate example of that, with some top class tennis thrown into the mix,” he continues.

“Great players wanted to be a part of what we were doing and it has turned into a big event that is part of the Wimbledon build-up.

“The players get great practice on the wonderful Stoke Park grass courts and the matches are relaxed with some competitive elements thrown in.

“Everyone in attendance feel like they get to know the players as they see them in a relaxed manner on court and also the chats they have with the dinner guests in the tent gives us a chance to see them in their true light, so it is the perfect setting for a great day out.

“And for the players, the week before a Grand Slam tournament, it’s nice to release some energy and tension, to let go and have some fun. It also allows the players to work on their game and iron out a few kinks, so it has worked so well for us.

“We have had some great moments. Like the occasion when Novak Djokovic took his shirt off and that image was front page in newspapers around the world, so this event has developed a life of its own.

“This event is not advertised at all, but we sell out every year and we are so grateful to Stoke Park and all our sponsors for making this event happen.”

While The Boodles has become a highlight of so many a summer over the last two decades, Patricio has still found time to continue his management story with some of the game’s top stars and he is current working with top ten player Tsitsipas as he looks to realise his potential to become one of the next big stars in tennis.

The Boodles is the ultimate tennis garden party

This is a story Apey has lived through time and again with the talent he has worked with, with a young Scot standing out as one of the most impressive players he helped to guide at the start of a journey that would see him become one of Britain’s all-time great sporting heroes.

“Managing top sportsmen is a job that has evolved in certain aspects during my time working in this field,” reflected Patricio.

“I worked with Andy Murray in his formative years and that went well on and off the court, but so much depends on the athlete you are working with and their desire to maximise their talent.

“I remember having a conversation with Andy when he was 18 or 19 and I told him that unlike any other time in recent British tennis history, he had a very big stage that was made even bigger for him by Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman. Those two guys had laid the foundations and Andy was dropped onto this stage they had helped to build.

“He has done so well to assume that responsibility and thrive as a wonderfully successful player and to become a world No.1. It has been great to see Andy’s success. He has been a superb champion who has maximised his talents on the court and he is an example of those who are following him now.

“In essence, the work I do managing tennis players has not changed too much since those early days with Andy Murray. The principles of helping a player develop on court first and foremost remain the same. Without being a champion there is no reason to plan the business side of things.

“Fast forward 15 years and the same stage, on a global level, has been made enormous by the ‘Big Three’ of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, with the young players now looking to take over from them at the top being given a privileged responsibility to safeguard the future of the sport.”

Apey has enjoyed a highly successful career in tennis that continues to serve up glorious moments courtesy of the talent he works with, but one of his great legacies will be The Boodles event at Stoke Park that he turned from a dream into a glistening reality.

The 2025 Boodles is underway and tickets are still available.

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