The All for the court slogan is so much more than Tennis Canada’s rallying cry. It’s the absolute truth for the WTA stars ahead of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, which will be held in Montréal from August 7 to 15.
Tennis fans will be thrilled!
Newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty will be there. So will Naomi Osaka, who’ll be competing for the first time since her exit from Roland-Garros.
World No.5 and 2019 National Bank Open winner Bianca Andreescu will also battle in Montréal.
“It’s a fantastic list,” said tournament director Eugène Lapierre.
Indeed, it is.
Despite the public health restrictions, the event is a guaranteed success. Why?
Because nine members of the Top 10 and 18 of the Top 20 are in the mix.
It’s actually much simpler to say who won’t be there: No.9 Simona Halep and No.16 Serena Williams. They’re both suffering from injuries at the moment.
THE DETAILS
The Public Health Agency of Canada has yet to give the go-ahead for the tournament, but there’s a reason why the ticket office was reopened last week. All signs point to an approval.
“We did have a few concerns, but we can now say with confidence that the National Bank Open will get the green light, especially since it has the okay from provincial and municipal health authorities. It’s only a matter of time before the federal approval is issued, like it was for the NHL and Calgary Stampede. We submitted all the necessary protocols,” affirmed Eugène Lapierre.
Phew! Earlier this week, the entire 2021 Asian swing was cancelled.
Still, there will be a set of conditions that must be met.
The players and their teams must remain in the tournament bubble.
A hotel was booked for them.
Up to 5,000 ticket holders can enter the Stadium. Originally set as the capacity for daily attendance, the figure was approved for each day and evening session.
For everyone’s safety, Centre Court will host all the action. Fans will even be able to order food and drinks right to their seats.
LOOK OUT FOR LEYLAH
All the players will be tested on arrival and then again, every three days.
So will all the members of their teams.
The risks are minimized, and the competitors—many of whom will be coming from the Tokyo Games—will be closely monitored.
One last thing: don’t miss Leylah Annie Fernandez of Laval. Eugène Lapierre confirmed that the World No.73 was given a wildcard.
We can’t wait!
