Tennis Canada – Tennis courts at Nathan Phillips Square and McGill College will give fans chance to get closer to world-class tournaments –

– Canadian Milos Raonic and Toronto Mayor John Tory to officially kick off Rogers Cup –
 

– Top WTA athlete to play against celebrated Montreal personalities –

TORONTO (July 19, 2016) Rogers and Tennis Canada today announced that Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is heading into the downtown core of its host cities with pop-up tennis courts at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto and on McGill College in Montreal on Wednesday, July 20 and Thursday, July 21.

Rogers Cup will have a full presence at these central locations for two days, including a full slate of activities that will allow any passerby the chance to get on court. The many interactive activities planned include how to be a tennis official and ball kid demos, wheelchair and cardio tennis demos, fastest serve contests, as well as open play. A full schedule of events for the Toronto and Montreal activations is now available on the Rogers Cup site.

“Setting up public tennis courts in the host cities is an opportunity to bring Canadians closer to all the tennis action and learn more about the sport at the same time,” said Livia Zufferli, Senior Vice President, Brand, Rogers. “From marquee events and demos to face painting and celebrating grassroots tennis with Mini Rogers Cup matches, these accessible events will give fans a chance to play in the heart of the city and take in some of the game’s rising stars.”

“We are very excited about this new initiative and think it will be a fantastic way to kick off our tournament,” said Karl Hale, Rogers Cup Toronto tournament director. “As we are located outside of the downtown core, we are always looking for ways to reach the centre of the city and get closer to our fans. This is a unique way to do just that, and we hope lots of Torontonians get the chance to stop by and experience some of the fun that Rogers Cup has to offer.” 

Toronto Activation Details

Location:        Nathan Phillips Square in front of the iconic Toronto sign    

Marquee Events:      

• Wednesday, July 20 at 8 a.m.
  • Mini Rogers Cup finals; champions will be presented at a ceremony during Rogers Cup
• Wednesday, July 20 at Noon
  • Sportsnet’s Caroline Cameron to face-off in a wheelchair tennis match with Canadian Parapan Am bronze medallist Joel Dembe
• Thursday, July 21 at 5:20 p.m. ET
  • Canadian Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic to engage in a friendly volley with Toronto Mayor John Tory, followed by a doubles demonstration with Mini Rogers Cup players and official photo; Event hosted by Sportsnet’s Arash Madani.

Photo Opportunity RSVP:   Sónia Brum, Rogers, sonia.brum@rci.rogers.com, 647.338.7381

Montreal Activation Details

Location:        McGill College in between Ste. Catherine and Maisonneuve           

Marquee Events:      

• Wednesday, July 20 at noon
  • Sprinter Bruny Surin, figure skater Joannie Rochette, and football players Etienne Boulay and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to take part in tennis skills competition
• Thursday, July 21 at 5 p.m. ET
  • Top WTA player to take on local celebrities in a friendly match and then participate in a panel discussion and Q&A with the public

Photo Opportunity RSVP:  Valerie Tetreault, Tennis Canada, vtetreault@tenniscanada.com, 514.273.1515 x259

Owned and operated by Tennis Canada, Rogers Cup presented by National Bank runs from July 23-31 at Aviva Centre in Toronto and from July 22-31 at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal, offering fans a chance to get closer to the best players of the ATP World Tour and WTA. For more information and tickets, please visit rogerscup.com. 

Social Media
Official Event Hashtag            #GetCloser
Official Rogers Site                rogers.com
Follow Rogers                         @Rogers, @RogersBuzz
Like Tennis Canada                facebook.com/TennisCanada
Follow Tennis Canada            @TennisCanada
Official Rogers Cup Site         rogerscup.com
Like Rogers Cup                     facebook.com/RogersCup, facebook.com/CoupeRogers
Follow Rogers Cup                 @rogerscup, @couperogers  

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, eight professional ITF-sanctioned events and financially supports 15 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 at www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Rogers
Rogers Communications is a leading diversified public Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada’s largest provider of wireless 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, sports entertainment, and digital media. Our stock is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:  RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.
 
Media Contacts:
Sónia Brum, Rogers, sonia.brum@rci.rogers.com, 647.338.7381
Sarah Grossman, Tennis Canada,  sgrossman@tenniscanada.com, 416.509.9694
Valerie Tetreault, Tennis Canada, vtetreault@tenniscnada.com 514.273.1515 x259