It’s an opportunity to see some of the world’s best tennis players compete against each, such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Toronto’s very-own Daniel Nestor. Spectators and TV viewers will also see Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling duke it out for top prize.
The women’s competition is a must-see, as well, with Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and Samantha Stosur who’s described as a “rare and gifted serve-and-volley player” by Andrew Clark for Movie Entertainment magazine. Her serves clock up to 122 miles per hour or about 190 km/hr. But the buzz surrounds the Williams sisters, as one of them has cancelled and the other has had some bad press.
Serena Williams Will Skip Montreal... Again
She’s known for being outspoken. Maybe it’s the colourful way she expresses herself with the linesperson. Yet in Montreal, Serena Williams is somewhat of a controversial figure for almost the opposite reason since she tends to be nonexistent. She has a reputation for canceling her appearances in this city. In fact, she has been a no-show since 2000.
This year, she has done it again, due to what she says is a cut on her foot. As a result, some of the locals are naturally responding with cynicism. However, she is saying that she may have to cancel the US Open as well and if she does, while that may be bad news for her fans, at least it would put an end to the speculation for this year. Time will tell.
Controversy Regarding the Other Williams Sister Too
Venus Williams, on the other hand, will play and even though she’s the more mellow of the two sisters, even she’s managed to stir up a bit of trouble back in June when she was criticized in a Stephanie Myles Montreal Gazette article. She was accused of showing a lack of interest during a 10-minute conference call with reporters, which not only started a half-hour late, but Williams could be heard chewing food throughout the whole thing.
“Obviously it’s where tennis started (chew, chew), so it’s pretty exciting (chomp, chomp). I always dreamed of doing that when I was younger (total monotone), so to be able to make my dream come true every year is wonderful (chew, swallow),” reads one of the quotes.
But these are relatively minor scandals compared to the antics of Lindsay Lohan. Chances are, viewers will still tune in to see Venus Williams’ first time playing in Montreal, regardless of the drama off the court. In some cases, they may even tune in because of it.
When and Where to Watch
In Canada, CBC TV will provide coverage of the weekend semi-finals and finals of both events while TSN and TSN2 while televise the earlier rounds. A complete TV schedule is available on the Rogers Cup website. South of the border, ESPN2 will be the main broadcaster while The Tennis Channel will show some of the lesser important matches. Broadcast times for the United States can be found on the US Open Series website.
The men’s tournament, also known as the Rogers Masters outside of Canada, will occur at the Rexall Centre at York University in Toronto August 7-15. The following week, the women will play at Uniprix Stadium at Parc Jarry in Montreal, August 13-22. But no matter whether you have tickets or plan to watch in front of the tube, this is an event not to be missed.
Sources:
Montreal Gazette, “Serena Williams to Miss Montreal's Rogers Cup”, July 17, 2010
Montreal Gazette, “Worst. Conference Call. Ever.”, June 15, 2010
Movie Entertainment, “Courtly Love”, August 2010
Steve Hatton - Steve Hatton is a Montreal-based freelance writer and journalist who covers the television industry, including TV show reviews and media ...
Join the Conversation