Tennis Canada – More than 1,000 kids to participate in Ontario and Quebec; Winners to be recognized at Rogers Cup

Toronto, April 14, 2016 – Tennis Canada and Rogers announced Thursday the return of Mini Rogers Cup for the 2016 season, with more than 1,000 kids under the age of 12 set to participate in Kids Tennis tournaments across Ontario and Quebec leading up to Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Toronto and Montreal.

Mini Rogers Cup has been a mainstay for four years in Quebec, while making its debut in Ontario last year. A competition meant for kids at the recreational level, Mini Rogers Cup will start this month and run through July, giving budding young players the chance to get closer to both the sport and Canada’s biggest tennis tournament like never before.

“Sponsoring Mini Rogers Cup is part of our commitment to supporting grassroots tennis initiatives and growing the game along with our partner Tennis Canada,” said Livia Zufferli, SVP, Brand, Rogers. “We’re fans of sport, and beyond broadcasting and delivering memorable experiences to Canadians, we want to give back and encourage young tennis players to continue to develop their skills and love of play.”

In Ontario, clubs will run Mini Rogers Cup team leagues or one-day events for U12 and U10 age categories to determine their representative in the finals. Quebec will host competitions for three age categories (U6, U8, and U10) with events to be held at clubs throughout the province, and the winners moving onto the finals.

The competition will culminate in the Mini Rogers Cup finals to be held in July the week before Rogers Cup in both Toronto and Montreal. Champions will receive a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get closer to the tournament with a behind-the-scenes experience. Winners will also be presented in a Centre Court ceremony, with the runners-up invited to a day at Rogers Cup as well.

“We are very excited to be bringing back Mini Rogers Cup for another year,” said Karl Hale, Rogers Cup Toronto tournament director. “Kids Tennis is critical to the growth of tennis in Canada and our research shows that more kids than ever are picking up racquets. We know the amazing benefits playing tennis can have for young people, and the goal of Mini Rogers Cup is to simply get kids excited about the sport. We hope that it will create some lifelong tennis players – and maybe even future Rogers Cup champions!”

“Since its beginnings, Mini Rogers Cup has reached hundreds of children and encouraged them to pick up a racquet,” said Eugene Lapierre, Rogers Cup Montreal tournament director. “Some of them have even had the chance to hit a few balls with some of the best players in the world including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka, and Marion Bartoli. This event is a great opportunity to expand the reach of Rogers Cup and get people more closely involved. We are always happy to see more and more kids playing tennis.”

For all of the information on Mini Rogers Cup, including how to sign up and contact details, please visit rogerscup.com/mini-rogers-cup or couperogers.com/mini-rogers-cup.   
 
Owned and operated by Tennis Canada, the prestigious Rogers Cup presented by National Bank attracts the biggest stars in tennis year after year. In 2016, the men’s event will be staged at Aviva Centre in Toronto from July 23 to 31, while the women’s event will take place at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal from July 22 to 31. For tickets and additional information, please visit rogerscup.com. Sportsnet is the official English broadcaster of the 2016 Rogers Cup. Broadcast details to be announced at a later date.

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About Rogers Cup presented by National Bank
Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is a Tennis Canada owned and operated world-class tournament celebrating its 136th anniversary of the men’s event from July 23-31 at Aviva Centre in Toronto and its 124th anniversary of the women’s event from July 22-31 at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal. As an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, Premier 5 WTA tournament and Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series event, Rogers Cup presented by National Bank will showcase the world’s best players. Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is the third-oldest title in tennis, behind only Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. For more information and tickets visit www.rogerscup.com.

About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, 10 professional ITF-sanctioned events and financially supports 12 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates national junior training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada, please visit our website atwww.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Rogers
Rogers is a leading diversified Canadian communications and media company.  We are Canada’s largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada’s leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services to consumers and businesses. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, and sports entertainment. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:  RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI).

Media Contacts
Nicole Watts, Manager, Communications, Tennis Canada
          nwatts@tenniscanada.com or 416-665-9777 ext. 4092
Valérie Tétreault, Regional Manager, Communications and Media Relations, Tennis Canada     
          vtetreault@tenniscanada.com or 514-273-1515 ext. 6259
Sónia Brum, Rogers
          sonia.brum@rci.rogers.com or 647-338-7381