Rogers Cup Tickets
Rogers Cup Tickets
London has the Wimbledon, Paris hosts the famous French Open and the cities of Montréal and Toronto are known for hosting the Rogers Cup. The cup is also known as the Canadian Open or the Canada Masters. It is an annual event where men participate in Masters 1000 and the women compete in Premier 5 tournament. Both of these competitions are played in the months of July-August, but in separate weeks. It is interesting to note that if a year is odd, than Masters 1000 is played in Montreal and the Premier 5 tournament in Toronto. But if the year is even, than it is the other way around. If the matches are being played in Toronto, than the venue is York University’s Rexall Centre, but if the host city is Montreal than the matches are played at Stade Uniprix. Unlike, the Wimbledon, the Rogers Cup is played on hard courts. Amongst men, in the single’s category, it is Andy Murray from the United Kingdom who is the reigning champion, while Danish, Caroline Wozniacki is the current champion in women’s singles.
The Rogers Cup is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world, along with the US Open and the Wimbledon. The men’s competition started in 1881 and was played at Toronto Lawn Tennis Club. The women’s tournament was first played in 1892. Back in the days, the major sponsors of this cup were various tobacco companies like Du Maurier, Player’s Limited and Rothmans International. However, as the tobacco products started to be more stringently regulated, Rogers Communications Inc., one of the largest wireless communication companies in Canada, became its biggest sponsor.
Staying with the history of the Rogers Cup, amongst the men, it is Czechoslovakian-American, ‘Ivan Lendl’, who has won the cup six times, making him the most successful player in men’s singles category. In the women’s singles, Monica Seles, an American, has won the tournament four consecutive times. Other players who have had a successful run at this cup are Martina Hingis, Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and many more.
As mentioned above it is the Rexall Centre in Toronto which hosts the Rogers Cup, when Montreal’s Uniprix Stadium is not hosting this prestigious tennis tournament. It was built in 2004 with a hefty cost of $45 (USD) and can seat up to 12,500 viewers. It is not just one stadium but a complex of 12 stadiums, with Rexall Centre being the main tennis court. All the courts use the same surface as the one used in the U.S. Grand Slam event. It is also home to Ontario Tennis Association and Toronto office of Tennis Canada. Since it is situated in the York University, students often give exams here, when the court is not booked for tennis and other activities. The venue also plays host to various musical concerts.
The other venue for the cup is Uniprix Stadium, Montreal. Slightly older than its Toronto counterpart, it was opened in 1995. The stadium can seat up to 12,000 viewers and is owned by Tennis Canada; however, the City of Montreal operates it. The stadium was originally named after a famous cigarette brand, Du Maurier. It was, however, later renamed after Quebec’s famous pharmacy chain, Uniprix. It, too, has twelve courts and they all use the same surface as the one used in the Rexall Centre.
It is said that the early form of tennis developed in the 12th century in France. The game has certainly come a long way since those early years, in which the ball was struck with the palm of the hand. Today, tennis is enjoyed all over the world by millions of its fans and generates millions of dollars. The players, too, are heavily paid, especially in terms of promotion fees, for example, television commercials, etc. While there may be many tennis tournaments, there are few like the Rogers Cup, since it is played by the very best of tennis players in the world, in two of the best cities in the world, amidst a great crowd and beautiful weather. So do not wait any longer to be part of this great tournament and buy your Rogers Cup Tickets now!