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The first Canadian Open in tennis was held in 1881 for men and in 1892 for women. Since 1968, these championships have been made of two components: the international competition and the national tournament reserved for the best Canadian players. This tournament was only interrupted by two world wars, from 1914 to 1918 and 1941 to 1945. The list of winners is impressive and includes several prestigious names in the history of tennis. The most recent Canadians to claim the open title were Robert Bédard, winning in 1955, 1957 and 1958, and Faye Urban in 1969.
Championship History
Until 1975, the international tournament was held in private clubs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Quebec and Niagara Falls. Thereafter, it was held in the National Tennis Centre at the Université York de Toronto until 1979. Then, the men's and women's tournaments were alternated between Toronto and Montreal. The men's tournament takes place in Montreal in odd-numbered years and the women's tournament takes place in even-numbered years. Since 1996, Jarry Park has been equipped with facilities considered among the ten best in the world. The central court, widened by 3m, limits the wind's influence and provides an intimate atmosphere for 10,500 spectators. The twelve outdoor courts allow athletes to practice at the same location as the competition.
The Canadian Open, both women's and men's, is today one of the biggest tournaments of the international circuit. For the women, the only two major tournaments older than the Canadian Open are Wimbledon and the US Open. The 1999 women's tournament attracted more than 142,000 spectators to Toronto where Martina Hingis put an end to the twenty-year domination of Monica Seles, defeating her in the finals. The attendance record for a one-week women's tournament was set in 2000 at Du Maurier Stadium at Jarry Park with 157,236 spectators. In 1979, the Canadian Open barely drew 8,000 spectators. During the 1998 and 1999 seasons, players chose the women's Canadian Open as the Premier Tournament of the Year from among 24 Tier 1 and Tier 2 tournaments. The prize money has also increased significantly. Today it is $1.5 million for the women, whose tournament is one of the nine major tournaments of the professional Women's Tennis Association. (WTA) As for the men, the prize money jumped from $930.000 in 1990 to more than $2.4 million in 2000.
The men's open is now part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Masters Series. It is the sixth in a series of nine tournaments ending in the ATP Finals. These international competitions are sure to include the presence of the greatest names in world tennis and the list of champions is impressive: Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Bjorn Borg, Michael Chang, Patrick Rafter, Chris Evert Lloyd, Gabriela Sabatini, Steff Graf, Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis are just some of the greats who have brought their prestige to the Canadian Open.
