Queen's tennis club 'may be sold for £40m'

The future of one of London's most prestigious tennis clubs could be in peril amid rumours of a sell-off, it emerged today.

The Queen's Club in Baron's Court, which hosts the Stella Artois tournament and boasts royals among its members, is the headquarters of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

And there are fears that when the LTA moves to a new base in Roehampton in 2006, the 118-year-old club could be sold to raise £40 million.

At a secret meeting in a Knightsbridge restaurant, influential members were told there is a document in the club's archives which could stop the sale of Queen's on the open market.

The contract, signed in 1953 when the LTA bought the club from its members, would give them first refusal to buy the site back.

Members have written to club chairman, Grant Meyrick, demanding he finds the document.

If he refuses, members could call for an extraordinary general meeting at which they could propose the removal of the club committee and also the project group appointed by the committee to negotiate with the LTA over a possible sale.

Today, a spokesman for the LTA said no decision would be made about the club until next year.

"Documents from the Fifties are irrelevant until we decide what to do with the club," he added. "The LTA has given the members a number of assurances, one of which is that if the LTA decides to lease or sell, members will be given the opportunity to bid."