MONTREAL -- Serena and Venus Williams have never been in Montreal at the same time. In fact, Venus Williams has never set foot in the city. The 2010 edition of the Rogers Cup tennis event could change all that. Tennis Canada announced Wednesday that the sisters - in fact, the top 10 players in the WTA Tour rankings - have confirmed their participation in next summer's tournament, which takes place from Aug. 14-22 and will offer $2-million in prize money. Serena is currently ranked No. 1, while Venus is No. 7. After years of no-shows and last-minute cancellations on the women's side, the WTA Tour's new schedule offers more of an off-season and fewer commitments from the top players. It seems to be having an effect. Last year's event in Toronto boasted the top 25 players in the world.
"The restructuring worked in 2009. We have to believe it'll be the same in 2010," said Montreal tournament director Eugene Lapierre. The top women are mandated to play four of the five events in the "Premier 5" category, which includes the Rogers Cup. This year, they were asked to commit by Dec. 1. All 10 chose Montreal. In contrast, only seven of 10 chose a similar event in Cincinnati held the week prior.
A perfect tournament also would include the Belgian comeback kids, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. Clijsters was a huge hit in Toronto last summer, in only her second tournament back after retirement. Henin, who returns to the WTA Tour next month in Australia, hasn't played in Montreal since 2002.
2 comments:
I know I'm from Montreal. I'm having orgasm :D. I'm crying of joy =)...
I really hope that both of them stay healthy and don't get injured. As long as they stay uninjured, they should be able to compete in Montreal.
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