US Open Series Preview: Montreal

The top stars of the tennis world are heading to Canada this summer, as Tennis Canada announced Wednesday the official player acceptance lists for the 2017 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Toronto and Montreal. Between both cities, the vast majority of the Top 75-ranked players will be competing for the prestigious Rogers Cup titles.

World No. 1 Andy Murray, 10-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal and Wimbledon winner Roger Federer headline the entry list in Montreal, where all of the Top 40 men will be in contention.

“We have another amazing player field this year and our fans are in for a real treat with the current leaders of men’s tennis set to take on the next generation,” said Eugene Lapierre, Rogers Cup Montreal tournament director. “No matter who wins it will be a great champion to add to our illustrious list. We’re looking forward to welcoming all the players and the fans back to Montreal in a few weeks from now. It is shaping up to be one of our best tournaments yet.”

Since 2004, Murray, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Federer have held a near-monopoly on the Rogers Cup men’s title, with only the 2014 tournament (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga) won by another player. All five competitors will be back in Montreal this year to try and claim another Canadian championship, alongside young guns Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev.

Milos Raonic is the lone Canuck to earn a direct entry into the tournament thanks to his No. 6 world ranking. The 2013 Rogers Cup finalist, Raonic is the highest-ranked singles player in Canadian history and he will be a strong contender to go deep in the tournament once again. The men’s event has also awarded three wild cards to Felix Auger-Aliassime, Vasek Pospisil, and Denis Shapovalov.

Pospisil, a former Rogers Cup semifinalist, is the country’s second-ranked male player at world No. 75. Eighteen-year-old Shapovalov, currently ranked inside the Top 200, will be making his second appearance at Rogers Cup, after debuting last summer with a first-round win over Nick Kyrgios in Toronto, while Auger-Aliassime will be playing the main draw for the first time. The 16-year-old recently became the seventh-youngest player to win an ATP Challenger tournament.

Fast Facts

• Level: ATP Masters 1000

• Prize Money: $4,662,300

• Dates: August 4–13

• Site: Uniprix Stadium, 285 Gary-Carter Street, Montreal, Quebec

• Singles main draw: 64-player draw

• Doubles main draw: 32-team draw