1. Rafa Eyes No. 1: Rafael Nadal will retake No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings if he reaches the Coupe Rogers semi-finals. Nadal has not been World No. 1 since 6 July 2014. The Spaniard is making his 11th appearance at Coupe Rogers, where he is 28-7 overall and 18-4 in Montreal. 2. Back at the Top: Nadal and Roger Federer are the top two seeds in Montreal. The Spaniard and Swiss have not been the Top 2 seeds at Coupe Rogers since 2009. That year, Federer was the No. 1 seed, Nadal was No. 2, and both lost in the quarter-finals. Nadal is a three-time champion (2005, 2008, 2013) and Federer is a two-time winner (2004, 2006). The...
It's not often that Roger Federer walks through the grounds of an ATP World Tour event without memories of lifting the trophy. But that is the case this week in Montreal, as the Swiss makes his long-awaited return to the Stade Uniprix. Appearing for the first time in six years, Federer has reached the final just once in the Canadian metropolis, falling to Novak Djokovic in 2007. The Coupe Rogers has witnessed the 35 year old lift the trophy on two occasions, defeating Andy Roddick in 2004 and Richard Gasquet in 2006, but both victories came in Toronto (the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event alternates between the two cities every year). But Federer says that despite his lack of...
Montreal fans are among some of the most vocal and passionate on the ATP World Tour, which will create a rock concert atmosphere when home favourite Milos Raonic takes the court at the Coupe Rogers. The sixth seed will start his Montreal campaign against Adrian Mannarino or #NextGenATP Russian Daniil Medvedev. Raonic has enjoyed success on home soil before, finishing runner-up at this event in 2013 (l. Nadal) and reaching at least the quarter-finals in four of his past five attempts. Most importantly, he has moved past the injuries that plagued him at the beginning of the season and is able to play and practise the way he wants. “I’ve been healthy physically for a while now, which is nice,”...
Rafael Nadal could reclaim his standing as World No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings at the Coupe Rogers, but the Spaniard said he’s focused on the matches at hand for now. A semi-final finish in Montreal will allow top seed Nadal to unseat Andy Murray in the top spot, a position he hasn’t held since July 2014. But with several tricky opponents potentially standing between him and the last four, including home favourite Milos Raonic, red-hot John Isner and the always dangerous Juan Martin del Potro, Nadal said he can’t afford to look ahead. “I don’t even think about that now. I’m trying to have the right preparation now and that’s it,” said Nadal. “I’m going to keep trying...
Vasek Pospisil played a bit of street hockey when he was younger, but never had the experience of competing against NHL pros. On Saturday in Montreal, he had his opportunity at the annual Coupe Rogers Ball Hockey Challenge. “It’ll be interesting. I hope I don’t embarrass myself!” said Pospisil ahead of the friendly game at Stade Uniprix. Facing off against an NHL team that included Jonathan Drouin, Charles Hudon and Michael McCarron of the Montreal Canadiens, he more than held his own. The British Columbia native, who fondly recalls watching the Mario Lemieux-Jaromir Jagr-Ron Francis line as a kid (“that line was pretty crazy”), had his fair share of scoring chances and earned the praise of his hockey counterparts. ...
