Photo: Martin Sidorjak
The iconic Davis Cup trophy is set to conclude its nationwide tour at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto and Montreal this August. Fans will witness special celebrations on centre court at Sobeys Stadium and Stade IGA and see the trophy up close at dedicated on-site activations.
At the National Bank Open in Toronto, tennis fans will Feel History Being Made during the main draw’s opening night (Monday, August 7) as Team Canada presented by Sobeys’ iconic triumph in the 2022 Davis Cup is acknowledged with an on-court ceremony for the ages.
ATP superstars and Canadian heroes Félix Auger-Aliassime (Montréal, QC), Denis Shapovalov (Richmond Hill, ON), Vasek Pospisil (Vernon, BC), Alexis Galarneau (Laval, QC), Gabriel Diallo (Montréal, QC), and team captain Frank Dancevic (Niagara Falls, ON) will receive their Davis Cup championship rings, designed and crafted by Baron, in front of a packed stadium in a celebration that is set to evoke national pride.
The storied trophy will join Canada’s world champions on court along with an illustrious group of previous Canadian Davis Cup players, who will be presented with personalized Davis Cup champions pins earlier that evening. They include Brayden Schnur (Pickering, ON), Steven Diez (Toronto, ON) and Peter Polansky (Toronto, ON) who, along with all Team Canada Davis Cup support staff, will also receive a championship ring as they were part of Canada’s 2022 Davis Cup team for last March’s Qualifier.
The on-court ceremony will begin at 6:45 p.m. Eastern and fans are encouraged to make their way to Centre Court early, wearing their Canadian colours with pride.
“This is a unique experience for fans attending the National Bank Open in Toronto,” said Karl Hale, Tournament Director of the Toronto event. “A trophy can only be won for the first time once, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Canada’s history-making Davis Cup team together on court for the first time since they lifted the trophy. This celebration will set the tone for what’s sure to be a National Bank Open for the record books. We want a sea of red at Sobeys Stadium that Monday night so Félix, Denis, Vasek, Gabriel, Alexis and Frank can see what it means to Canada to be world champions.”
From Saturday, August 5 to Sunday, August 6, the trophy will be on display in Sobeys Stadium’s VIP Lounge, which is accessible for all fans during 407 ETR Family Weekend.
After the festivities in Toronto, the trophy will travel to the National Bank Open in Montreal where, on Friday, August 11, it will be located at the Tennis Canada Fan Zone on-site at Stade IGA. Then, on Saturday, August 12, a similar ceremony will be hosted on centre court featuring a group of previous Canadian Davis Cup players from Quebec, who will also receive personalized Davis Cup champions pins.
“Although the National Bank Open in Montreal is hosting the WTA event this year, we are very excited to offer our fans the chance to celebrate this historic win,” said Valerie Tetreault, Tournament Director of the Montreal event. “The Davis Cup title might have been won on-court by our stellar team, but there was a whole nation cheering on that team and therefore, we want to make sure that as many tennis fans as possible have a chance to see the trophy. We are also looking forward to an evening of reunion on Saturday night as we will welcome on-court all former Davis Cup players from Quebec, to recognize that they helped pave the way to this incredible achievement.”
DAVIS CUP CHAMPIONS TOUR PRESENTED BY SOBEYS SEES TROPHY TRAVEL FROM COAST TO COAST IN CANADA
Since its launch in April, the Davis Cup Champions Tour presented by Sobeys has seen the historic silverware travel more than 15,000 kilometres to visit all ten Canadian provinces. Spanning over 50 events at tennis clubs, sponsor sites, municipal offices and public spaces, the tour will have given the opportunity for over 100,000 Canadians to see the iconic trophy in person at its conclusion, following the National Bank Open events.
“It has been a privilege to see the Davis Cup trophy travel from coast to coast over the past few months,” said Michael Downey, Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Canada. “This was a truly staggering logistical undertaking given the sheer size and scale of our country, but we are delighted to have shared this iconic trophy with thousands of Canadians in celebration of Team Canada’s maiden Davis Cup title. Along the way, many of them will have been inspired to pick up a racquet.”
The tour was a celebration of Team Canada’s victory in the 2022 Davis Cup, marking the first time in the competition’s 123-year history that Canada had lifted the famous trophy. The full details of all the Davis Cup Champions Tour stops are available on the Tennis Canada website.
