Tennis Canada – Draw puts World No.1 Rafael Nadal and defending champion Alexander Zverev on title collision course

19 of top 20 in draw; Canadian Raonic to face No.10 Seed Goffin on Aviva Opening Night

Toronto, August 3, 2018 – Novak Djokovic will play Hyeon Chung in a mouth-watering first round encounter of the 2018 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. Djokovic, who is fresh off the back of winning his fourth Wimbledon title, was defeated by the South Korean in the fourth round at this year’s Australian Open and will be hoping to avenge that loss as he bids for a fifth Rogers Cup title in Tuesday’s day session on Centre Court.

The official draw ceremony for the 2018 edition of Rogers Cup took place at Bisha in downtown Toronto and contains 19 of the top 20 players in the world. Canadian No.1 and 2017 Rogers Cup semifinalist Denis Shapovalov (Richmond Hill, ON) will start his campaign on Tuesday night against Jeremy Chardy, who he defeated in the first round of this year’s Wimbledon.

In an all-Canadian Aviva Opening Night on Monday, August 6, Milos Raonic (Thornhill, ON) will face world No.11 David Goffin of Belgium, followed by rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime (Montreal, QC), who makes his Rogers Cup main draw debut against world No.19 Lucas Pouille. The 17-year-old Canadian will be bidding for just his fourth ATP Tour-level victory when he takes on the Frenchman for the first time.

World No.1 Rafael Nadal, who will face the winner of Benoit Paire versus a qualifier on Wednesday night, was on hand to help make the draw at Bisha. “I’m very excited to come back to Toronto,” said Nadal, who is playing here for the first time since 2010. “[My win here in] 2008 was so special, because that victory [helped] me reach world No.1 for the first time. I’ve missed this tournament many more times because of tough injuries, so I’m looking forward to be back at a tournament that I love.”

Vasek Pospisil (Vancouver, BC) will be looking to exact revenge on Borna Coric when the two face off in the first round in Toronto. World No.21 Coric defeated the Canadian in four sets in the Davis Cup first round earlier this year in their only previous meeting. Peter Polansky (North York, ON) will face Australian Matthew Ebden.

Three-time champion Andy Murray has opted not to take his wildcard after withdrawing from the Citi Open in Washington with fatigue.

“Sadly I won’t be able to take my place in the draw in Toronto,” said Murray. “I’d like to thank the tournament for a wild card, I always love playing in Canada but I’ve played quite a few matches this week in Washington and I need to be smart with my rest and recovery as I come back from injury.”

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, himself coming back from an injury last year, takes up Murray’s main draw wild card and faces Australian Nick Kyrgios in another blockbuster first round clash.

Defending champion Alexander Zverev is on the opposite side of the draw as Nadal as the No.2 seed, while Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro is seeded third. Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic, Wimbledon runner-up Kevin Anderson as well as the always-dangerous Grigor Dimitrov and Dominic Thiem also help to make a stacked men’s field.

To see the full men’s singles main draw, click here; for the men’s singles qualifying draw, click here.

For Rogers Cup tickets and additional information, please visit rogerscup.com or call 1 877 283-6647. Tickets start at $20 including all taxes and fees. 407 ETR Community Family Weekend takes place on Saturday, August 4 and Sunday August 5, with free entry for the whole family. Characters from Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shimmer and Shine and Masha and the Bear will be meeting with fans.

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 126th anniversary of the women’s event from August 3-12, 2018 at IGA Stadium in Montreal and its 138th anniversary of the men’s event from August 4-12, 2018 at Aviva Centre in Toronto. As a WTA Premier 5 tournament, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, and US 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 US 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, 9 professional ITF sanctioned events and financially supports 13 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. 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 Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contact

Toronto:
Katie Spellman. Manager, Media and PR

kspellman@tenniscanada.com or +14164521646