Originally named the Canadian National Championship, it was founded in 1881 and was the third oldest tennis tournament in the world (founded only after Wimbledon in 1877 and the US open in 1880). Initially, the tournament was only an amateur competition, aspiring to one day join the far away big leagues that had not yet resided in Canada. Promoted as “the first tournament in the Dominion”, it brought much anticipation to the tennis fans of Toronto.

On the very first day of its opening, the esteemed lieutenant governor of ​Ontario​, ​Sir John Beverley Robinson​, and his wife Mary proudly took their places in the centre of the lush green grass courts to commence the first match. The crowd jittery with excitement was awestruck as they witnessed the high-speed matches occurring within feet in front of them. The power yielding slices and the robust serves that seemed to send the ball hurling at lightning speed held their utmost attention in tandem with nothing else.

The 1881 winner of the first ever Canadian National Open was Isidore Frederick Hellmuth (CAN) who crushed his opponent W.H. Young (CAN) in a 2 set match with a score of 6-2, 6-2. After his dominating victory, the crowd burst out into animated congratulations with a civilized applause, as he was awarded the signature silver cup with a wide grin plastered across his face. One differentiation of the tournament in the 1880s to today, was its previous absence of prize money. While today the most recent winner was granted $2.8 million, with the previous award for a championship match well played being a simple silver token of congratulations and one’s own self satisfaction, it ensured that within the community of fans and players that the spirit and love for tennis was truly alive and well.

In its early days, the tournament was held at a much smaller stadium than the grandiose Aviva stadium that we have become accustomed to in the world of modern day sports, and thus was a far more sophisticated and intimate affair. While since its beginnings the tournament has cycled through a multitude of various locations and titles, during the first years the momentous events took place at the then quaint Toronto Lawn Tennis Club in the Rosedale neighbourhood. There, the bleachers were able to hold roughly 200-300 people, which dawns a stark contrast to today’s Aviva stadium which bears a capacity of nearly 12,000 spectators.

In addition, the clothing worn by the tennis players at the time shows a sharp divergence from that of modern day tennis players. In many of the first matches, the male and female players can be seen dressed modestly in full length trousers and polo shirts, and mid calf length dresses, respectively. Players of the late 1800s to mid 1900s can also be seen in the images carrying thicker, smaller framed racquets, that more closely resemble the badminton racquets of today.

Soon after its initial conception, the tournament became open to both men and women in 1883, and included a mixed doubles event in 1882, thus taking a step in the right direction of becoming the expansive and widely known tournament that it is today. Between 1899 to 1924, 2 Canadians ruled the women’s singles tournament. A powerhouse named Violet Summerhayes of Toronto won 6 times within just 7 years between 1899 and 1905, while her successor, Lois Moyes Bickle of Vancouver, picked up the baton going on to win the ladies singles 10 times between 1906 and 1924.

Days spent at the tournament were about much more than a breadth of obligatory corporate affiliations and a simple need to escape the summer boredom that seems to plague those of today, but rather they were centred around a communal love for the sport of tennis. The circular perimeter that enclosed the club acted as a barrier into a separate realm. One that wasn’t filled with the pressures of everyday life, but rather was characterized as an entrance into a day of excitement where the best tennis players in the area would appear right before your eyes. Children, men and women of all ages would gather to witness the gloriously clean strokes and the intense dedication of the payers to the game.

We took a look at vintage tennis photographs from around Toronto in a previous article.

The post A Brief History of The Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Twelve weeks and two days since that other Canadian singularity, Toronto’s own Bianca Andreescu just became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam tennis title.

Canada.

Again.

HOW ABOUT THAT LOCAL SPORTS TALENT

It’s a nice time to be Canadian. (I mean, it’s always a nice time to be Canadian.) It’s an especially nice time to be a Torontonian. To pause, look around, and see that the world’s best basketball team is from Toronto. The world’s hottest author is a Torontonian. And, well, sure, technically Bianca’s from a suburb, but I think it’s safe to claim her for our own.

After all, it’s in her blood. Born June 16, 2000 – making her the first person born in the 21st century to win a Grand Slam title – in Mississauga, Bianca spent the early part of her childhood in her parents’ native Romania, before returning to Toronto to sign on with Tennis Canada’s National Training Program. A few years after that, Bianca ranked among the top junior players in the world. Last year, she ranked 243 on the WTA tour. At the beginning of this year, she was ranked 152.

Let’s just let that sink in.

One year ago, Bianca Andreescu, the current U.S. Open champion, was ranked 152nd in the world. A year ago, Serena Williams, her opponent, was ranked 16th. Going into the final in New York, Serena was No. 8, and Bianca No. 15.

Today, having beaten Serena, Bianca is ranked 5th. How did she get here? (Same way you get to Carnegie Hall. #rimshot )

Okay, she actually got here through an impeccable run of superb tennis, winning and winning again, first with an unexpected finals appearance at the ASB (Auckland) Classic in January, then an even more unexpected championship at Indian Wells (California) in March. Then, a month ago at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Bianca took a default victory against Serena, who was forced to retire from injury.

That win catapulted Bianca to No. 15, but perhaps just as importantly, gave rise to one of the greatest, and most touching, sports moments in recent memory. Consoling her injured and distraught opponent, Bianca, who grew up watching and idolising Serena, uttered the immortal lines, “Yo, I’ve watched you your whole career. You’re a fucking beast.”

THE NEW GUARD

Bianca wasn’t even born when Serena won her first Grand Slam title. (Incidentally, that was on the same New York court, back at the U.S. Open 1999.) At 19, Bianca is half Serena’s age, who turns 38 in a couple weeks. But at 5’7″ to Serena’s 5’9″, and with a power swing that almost rivals Serena’s famously superhuman touch, Bianca is, if nothing else, the ideal athlete to demonstrate that Serena’s grip on a certain metaphorical torch may now be weakening. Yes, Serena remains the greatest living tennis player. (Sorry, boys.) And yes, it’s far too soon to predict how Bianca will look a month from now, let alone a year or ten years down the line. But, as Serena herself put it at the victory ceremony, “If anyone could win this tournament – outside of Venus – I’m happy it’s Bianca.”

So are we. Canada. Toronto. All of us. Even the partisan New York crowd, who hooted and hollered and “Serena!” ‘d all match long, much to the consternation of the Chief Umpire: even they were eventually won over by the Mississauga Phenom. Especially when, after the match, Bianca pulled a Canadian and apologized to fans for defeating their idol.

TRUE NORTH

Just shy of a month ago, Bianca Andreescu, going into the third set in her Rogers Cup matchup against Karolína Plíšková, gave herself a pep talk. As she later described in a post-victory press conference, “I told myself, ‘go big or go home.’ Literally go home. My home is like two minutes from here.”

Sure, it’s a bit further from New York to Toronto. And from Roland Garros to Toronto. Melbourne to Toronto. Wimbledon to Toronto. But it’s a hell of a journey she’s on, and it’s nice to know that wherever she goes, whatever she accomplishes, Home will always be, well, just a couple minutes from here.

And when she gets back, let’s throw her a parade, eh?

The post She the North: Bianca Andreescu Wins the US Open appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

In anticipation of the Rogers Cup, I thought I would share some vintage tennis photographs I found on the Toronto Archives and the Toronto Public Library archives of people playing the sport around Toronto from 1900-1930.

It is interesting to note the clothing worn, the conditions and materials of the courts, the shoes worn and also the racquets used. So many of our neighbourhoods have had public courts for around 100 years.

Search for more images on the Toronto Archives and the TPL Archives.

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