British tennis has announced a landmark £30 million sponsorship deal as exclusively revealed in The Times this morning.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has joined forces with AEGON in a relationship that will bring much-needed investment into the sport over the next five years.

The LTA, armed with the rise of Andy Murray to No 4 in the world, the universal popularity of Wimbledon, the cachet of the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament (from which Artois, its sponsor for 30 years, withdrew this summer) and the potential of 14-year-old Laura Robson, has found a company that is willing not only to share but to invest heavily in the sport’s future.

AEGON, the pensions and life assurance company, has signed a five-year deal that will run from 2009 through to 2013 and will see them not only invest in grass-roots tennis but also take on the naming rights to the international grass court events at Queen’s Club, Eastbourne and Edgbaston.

The announcement marks a red-letter day for the governing body and especially Roger Draper, its chief executive, who was determined from April 2006, when he took the reins from John Crowther, that he wanted to secure the LTA’s financial future without the reliance on its handout from the All England Club.

“We are delighted that AEGON has joined us as the lead partner of British Tennis in what is a very exciting time for the sport," Draper said. "We are looking forward to developing a close working partnership with them over the coming years.

"We share a joint desire to grow the sport at all levels from our major international events and supporting elite young players to improving facilities and access across the country and AEGON will play a vital role in this.”

Otto Thoresen, the UK chief executive of AEGON, said: “British tennis is at a breakthrough stage in its development and it is a very exciting time to be involved in the sport.”