The 2016 edition of the Rogers Cup – formerly known as the Canadian Open and currently identified as well as the Canada Masters – occupies a unique and difficult position on the tennis calendar this year. The presence of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which includes a tennis tournament in the first two weeks of August, has demanded that the ATP Tour split its two North American Masters 1000 events. One occurs before the Olympics, the other one after. Since the Canada Masters always comes before the Cincinnati Masters, this tournament – held in Toronto in even-numbered years, in Montreal in odd-numbered years – is coming before the Olympics. This is going to make it hard for a number of players to participate, especially those who are taking part in the Olympics. More details on the field will be included below.
The competition in the 56-player main draw began on Monday, July 25.
Event Details
Event: Rogers Cup / Canada Masters
Category: ATP World Tour – Masters 1000
Date: July 25 – 31, 2016
Location: Aviva Centre – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
With an overall financial commitment of over $4.6 million, the Canada Masters is the first in a series of prestigious events during the hardcourt summer season. The Olympics are prestigious for a different reason – national pride and the hunger for the glory of a gold medal – but Canada and Cincinnati both offer substantial purses for ATP pros, as the lead-ins to the U.S. Open in late August. It’s a chance for any strong hardcourt player to make a move after (perhaps) struggling on clay and grass in Europe for several months.
The points structure under the ATP system is that the championship means 1,000 points. A runner-up finish is worth 600. A semifinal result is 360 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 180 points. A round-of-16 results provides 90 points, a round-of-32 showing 45 points.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2015 – Andy Murray def. Novak Djokovic – 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
2014 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Roger Federer – 7-5, 7-6
2013 – Rafael Nadal def. Milos Raonic – 6-2, 6-2
2012 – Novak Djokovic def. Richard Gasquet – 6-3, 6-2
2011 – Novak Djokovic def. Mardy Fish – 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
Player Info:
Like most of the Masters tournaments on the yearly ATP Tour schedule, the Canada event has a 56-player main draw with the top eight seeds getting a bye in the opening round.
The big news here, with the draw not yet released (it won’t be for two more weeks), is that Roger Federer is highly unlikely to play in the event. Federer took a nasty fall late in his Wimbledon semifinal loss to Milos Raonic. He required medical attention on two separate occasions. Federer wants to be able to play in the Rio Olympics, so that makes his non-participation in Canada a virtual certainty. Rafael Nadal falls in the same boat. We’ll see if Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray make the same choice to pull out of the tournament. Djokovic has already decided not to play in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup a week before this tournament is scheduled to begin.
Milos Raonic, being Canadian, is almost certain to play in this tournament. He made his first Wimbledon final and will want to represent his country in Toronto. Tennis Canada will want to make sure he plays. He will be one of the favorites from a betting perspective and the fans will of course be pushing for him to win. He’s been a player on the rise in recent years and he should be among the finalists even if Murray and Djokovic show up.
The Aviva Centre
The Aviva Centre, formerly named the Rexall Centre, was built in 2004. It’s a state of the art facility in Toronto with a stadium court which holds 12,500 seats and very clear sight lines. The main stadium court has 39 suites. There are 11 other courts as part of the complex, hosting a first round with 24 matches over two days. This represents the new Toronto home for an event which began in 1881, surpassed only by Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in longevity as a men’s tennis tournament. When Montreal hosts the Canada Masters in odd-numbered years, Uniprix Stadium in Montreal is the main stadium court.
