TENNIS
Federer-Nadal rematch looms in Toronto
The instant classic between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the Wimbledon final earlier this month did more than just turn the attention of the general sporting world toward men’s professional tennis.
It boosted ticket sales for the annual Masters Series Canada event next week.
Tennis Canada announced that it sold $120,000 worth of tickets to the Rogers Cup, scheduled to begin Monday at the Rexall Centre in Toronto, the day after Nadal won the epic battle with a 9-7 win in the fifth set.
Tennis Canada is on pace to surpass the $10 million stadium sales mark, which would break the record set by Montreal last year when it reached the $9.9 million plateau. Next Sunday’s finals are already sold out, with only limited seats available for Saturday’s semifinals.
The pace is driven in large part by the scheduled appearances of Nadal and Federer, both of whom will be playing their first tournament since the Wimbledon showdown.
Nadal won the 2005 event, which annually alternates with the women’s tournament between Toronto and Montreal, and Federer won in 2004 and 2006.
Novak Djokovic won last year’s Rogers Cup in Montreal, defeating Federer, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (2). It was part of Djokovic’s breakout season and the Serbian is scheduled to defend his title.
He may have go to through Marat Safin, the man who bounced him from Wimbledon in the second round, in the quarterfinals. The 28-year-old Russian, ranked 40th, is enjoying a resurgence in his career. The former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam Champion advanced to the semis at Wimbledon. Safin won the Rogers Cup title in 2000 before earning his first Slam — the 2000 U. S. Open.
But it is the potential of a Federer-Nadal showdown that has so many people interested in this year’s Rogers Cup. While the event is usually used as a tune-up for the U. S. Open, this year it also serves as preparation for the Beijing Olympics. That has pundits excited about the quality of play this year, particularly since Federer is bent on chasing the gold medal for Switzerland.
Andy Roddick is the only notable player in the Toronto field who will not be making an Olympic appearance. The Florida native has chosen to stay in North America and concentrate on preparing for the U. S. Open. Roddick won the Rogers Cup in 2003, then went on to win his only Grand Slam title in New York.
Also in the field are No. 7 James Blake, No. 11 Andy Murray and No. 30 Lleyton Hewitt.
