The most dominant woman in professional sports will be plying her craft in Toronto this week. For all the buzz around unstoppable UFC champion Ronda Rousey, it is actually Serena Williams who arrives in the city while on the cusp of tennis history.
Williams will headline a star-studded women’s field at the annual Rogers Cup tennis tournament and is closing in on both the Open Era record for most Grand Slam championships, as well as the first sweep of all four major titles in 27 years. If she takes next month’s US Open in New York City, she will match Steffi Graf’s record with 22 Grand Slam titles while also becoming the first singles player to win all four Slams in a calendar year since Graf took the trick in 1988.
With Toronto before New York, Williams will have a tournament where she has won three Rogers Cup titles, including each of her past two appearances.She’ll have plenty of company with just about every female tennis star of consequence scheduled to join the ride. To arrive in NYC as the reigning Rogers Cup champion, Williams will have to contend with a draw that features long-time rival Maria Sharapova, Czech powerhouse Petra Kvitova, Spanish upstart Garbine Muguruza and, most notably, skilled-but-struggling Canadian hopeful Eugenie Bouchard.
The true draw of any Rogers Cup event, however, is the balance of quality and quantity. Beyond the marquee stars, spectators can patrol the Aviva Centre grounds that act as a playground to kids and adults alike. While they take in world class tennis, fans can treat themselves to age-specific attractions and activities, rom mini tennis games, fastest serve contests and autograph sessions to wine samplings, chocolate giveaways and beer garden patios.
New this year at the tournament, apart from the re-branded Aviva Centre (formerly known as Rexall Centre), is a tournament app designed to help get around the grounds and a Tennis Canada viewing zone where you can sit back and have a beer while taking a break from the sun. Tournament organizers get that even hardcore tennis fans need a break during a full day of on-court action, so the grounds are filled with (pricey) food and drink options along with enough entertaining distractions to fill a day or night without even watching a point.
If you are, however, seeking to watch the most talented female tennis players in the world, you aren’t likely to leave disappointed. Because of first round byes to most of the top seeds, fans will want to target Tuesday or Wednesday night in hopes of seeing Williams or another marquee star in action, although Bouchard’s recent slide down the rankings likely leaves her poised to be the feature attraction on Monday night. Tickets for all sessions, including next Sunday’s final, can still be purchased online.
