For the first time in more than 20 years, Ottawa will play host to the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas international tennis tournament, as Team Canada takes on Great Britain in the first round of what many people call ‘The World Cup of Tennis.’
It’s fitting that Canada would play host to Great Britain, the country with which we share a sovereign and deep historical tie, in the same year our country celebrates its 150th birthday. And this coming weekend, Canada will have another chance to celebrate as our team looks to advance to the next round of Davis Cup.
Of course, this weekend is not only a chance to celebrate Canada, but also the great sport of tennis, a sport that has been played in this country for more than a century.
Although Canada is widely known as a hockey nation, we are quickly developing a much more diverse sporting culture. Just look at the most recent Olympics, where stars like Penny Oleksiak, Andre De Grasse, and Brianne Theisen-Eaton made Canadians proud with thrilling performances. Canadians are playing a bigger role in the NBA, Major League Baseball and in international competitions around the world.
In tennis, Canada is enjoying a golden age of talent, with a roster of individual stars the likes this country has never seen. Milos Raonic is one of the very best players in the world, ranked world No. 4. Eugenie Bouchard is a former Wimbledon finalist and the highest-ranked Canadian female singles player in history. Daniel Nestor is a legend of the sport at age 44, Vasek Pospisil has posted many great results in singles and doubles, and junior Grand Slam champions like Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Bianca Andreescu are fueling interest in tennis across the country.
Tennis Canada was established in 1890 to lead the growth and promotion of tennis and to showcase talent across our country. We own and operate Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Toronto and Montreal, two events which allow us to bring the tennis world to Canada each year and in turn invest in developing champions, increasing participation, and building facilities. Our vision is to become a world-leading tennis nation.
Our organization is proud of the investments we have made in the future of tennis in this country, helping our young athletes to take on the world. Today, thanks in part to the growth of the game as well as the international achievements of our athletes, more than 57 per cent of Canadians are interested in tennis and 6.5 million Canadians picked up a racquet last year. We believe that number will continue to grow.
We are proud to work with the City of Ottawa to bring Davis Cup to our nation’s capital. This is truly a community event. A local committee led by the National Capital Tennis Association has been critical in helping us organize this tie. Over 90 volunteers from the Ottawa area will be involved in this tournament. And, more than 7,000 tennis fans from the city will be cheering on the team each of the three days.
We are excited to bring this historic tournament to Ottawa and we look forward to helping everyone in the city cheer on Team Canada together. Ottawa has a rich tennis history, as many of our players, past and present, have called Ottawa home, including Jesse Levine, Gabriela Dabrowski and many others who grew up playing at local tennis clubs in the greater Ottawa area. The nation’s capital has been key in Tennis Canada’s success in the past and provides a perfect setting for Davis Cup.
As Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations kick into high gear this year, they present a wonderful opportunity for us to look back at our celebrated history, and to look the future. At Tennis Canada, we believe the future for tennis in this country has never been brighter, and we would invite all of Ottawa to come out and support the first phase of that future this weekend at Davis Cup, in person at TD Place or by watching live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
To learn more about Canada’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first-round tie against Great Britain, or just more about tennis in Canada, please go to www.tenniscanada.com.