July 06, 2010

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Past champions Nadal, Federer, Murray, Djokovic, Roddick return to Toronto

Tennis Canada announced Tuesday the official player acceptance list for the 2010 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, scheduled from August 7-15 at Rexall Centre in Toronto. Each of the Top 44 players on the ATP World Tour have been listed for the Masters 1000 event, including world No. 1 and recent Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal, the most decorated Grand Slam titlist Roger Federer, and defending Rogers Cup winner Andy Murray.

"We are thrilled to welcome the best tennis players on the planet back to Toronto this summer," expressed tournament director Karl Hale. "The world-class players list, combined with a festival-like atmosphere, makes Rogers Cup presented by National Bank one of the best sporting events in Canada. We just witnessed an historic Wimbledon and we are looking forward to seeing similar tennis drama unfold at Rexall Centre."

The list of tennis stars descending on Toronto also includes local fan-favourite Novak Djokovic, American Andy Roddick and recent Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, among others.

There are 20 countries represented in the official player acceptance list, including Spain, who leads the tally with nine men scheduled to compete, followed by France (5), USA (4), Croatia (3) and Argentina (3).

To complete the 56-player draw, seven positions are reserved for qualifiers, four spots are held for wild card entrants at the discretion of Tennis Canada. One additional position is reserved for any special exemptions. These entrants will be announced at a later date.

Recent past Rogers Cup champions include Murray (2009), Nadal (2008, 2005), Djokovic (2007), Federer (2006, 2004), and Roddick (2003). Rogers Cup represents a long-standing Canadian sport tradition. Celebrating its 129th anniversary, it serves as the third-oldest tournament behind only Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

As an ATP Masters 1000 event, the highest-level tournament outside of the Grand Slams, Rogers Cup is a mandatory event on the men's tennis calendar. More than a tournament, Rogers Cup presented by National Bank brings elite tennis together with 15-acres of family-oriented promotions, fireworks, a retail village, restaurants, bars, auctions, live music and more.

Tickets to main draw action start at $25. Session seats, group offers, packages and executive suite opportunities are still available. Inventory for championship Sunday is very limited. For more information, visit www.rogerscup.com or call 1-877-2-TENNIS.