July 29, 2010

Karl Hale- Tennis Canada

I know it's been a while, but time really flies by when preparing for our biggest week of the year. We are officially 10 days away from the start of qualifying play but really the action starts to pick up next week when the players begin to arrive in the city and start making appearances.

Speaking of the players, all of them are confirmed and booked into their hotels. We are definitely expecting one of the best fields we have ever hosted here in Toronto. We have even heard some rumblings that our 2009 finalist Juan Martin Del Potro may be trying to make his return from injury a little early... but we are just keeping our fingers crossed on that as it may be premature. I will keep you posted.

One exciting event that is taking place during our event is Roger Federer's birthday! He turns 29 on August 8. It's crazy to think about how much he has accomplished before the age of 30. Anyways, Roger will be treated to a special, private birthday party on the Saturday night so I will be sure to tell you all about it the next day.

Apart from the players, we are expecting some special guests throughout the week as well. ATP World Tour CEO Adam Helfant is going to stop by and check out our tournament for the first time. We're really excited to host him in Toronto and we're confident he's going to love our event. Also, there are some rumours going around that Sidney Crosby is going to stop by at some point. He's a huge Federer fan – they are both giants in their sports – so fans should keep an eye out for Sid the Kid as well.

Well, that's all on my end. I'll be back next week a couple of times to fill you all in on some more developments.

In the meantime, keep the countdown on!

Cheers,

Karl