The National Bank Open, an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event, will commence in just a few days, and Autologica returns as a sponsor. We had a chance to chat with Rob Swann, Chief Commercial Officer, to learn more about this important tennis tournament that has been held in Montreal and Toronto since 1890.

The National Bank Open Is Owned and Operated by Tennis Canada, Could You Please Tell Us What That Means? What Implications Does It Have?

Alongside being the national federation for the sport, Tennis Canada also owns and operates the ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 National Bank Open presented by Rogers events in Toronto and Montreal each year. The organization’s staff are therefore responsible for the staging of the tournaments on an annual basis, welcoming the best players in the world to Aviva Centre and Stade IGA.

As a not-for-profit Tennis Canada invests all net proceeds from the National Bank Open presented by Rogers back into growing the sport across the country. In fact, 90% of the revenue Tennis Canada successfully invests in the development of the sport each year comes from the National Bank Open.

Tennis Canada is a Non-Profit Organization; What Is Its Social Impact on the Community?

Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. As well as the ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 National Bank Open events, Tennis Canada runs four professional ATP and ITF sanctioned events and financially supports four other professional tournaments in Canada.

Tennis Canada also operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. In order to accomplish its mission of growing the game across the country, Tennis Canada runs numerous grassroots and community -focused initiatives. As a not-for-profit Tennis Canada invests all net proceeds from the National Bank Open presented by Rogers back into growing the sport across the country. In fact, 90% of the revenue Tennis Canada successfully invests in the development of the sport each year comes from the National Bank Open.

The specialized programs and infrastructure that Tennis Canada has established has the purpose of giving everyone the opportunity to play and improving the lives of Canadians through the game.

You Support the Development of Women and Girls in Tennis, Can You Tell Us About That?

In May 2021, Tennis Canada and National Bank announced that they will partner on a long-term equality strategy for the next ten years, which will create meaningful actions and change for gender equality in tennis. As part of the initiative, Tennis Canada and National Bank will create new opportunities for women and girls in tennis, encouraging them to continue playing and enticing even more to pick up a racquet, become life-long participants, coaches and reap the benefits of an active lifestyle and personal growth through sport.

Moving forward, three pillars have been identified for the long-term strategy and Tennis Canada is currently finalizing the program details for implementation in 2022.

• Equal Voice: Women’s voice in tennis needs to be equal on all fronts – from bloggers to broadcast commentators and tournament directors, from event broadcast hours and event coverage to the vocabulary used to describe tennis matches and players. Tennis Canada wants to lead by example and strive for women’s voice parity by collaborating with broadcast partners.
• Professionalization: Establishing a succession plan priority for equal women’s representation in key roles and parity across all aspects of the business of tennis from board of directors and senior executives to tournament leaders, coaches and officials.
• Participation Pipeline: In partnership with Provincial Tennis Associations (PTAs), the Tennis Professionals Association (TPA) and other delivery partners, Tennis Canada will help provide an inclusive pathway and participation opportunities that attract and retain young girls in the sport of tennis and encourage women to enter and advance to the most senior levels in tennis coaching and instruction.

To mark the start of the program, Tennis Canada also launched the campaign “Girls. Set. Match.”, created by global creative agency Sid Lee, with a primary focus on the retention of young women and girls in the sport through adolescence. With this campaign, Tennis Canada’s goal is to raise awareness regarding the different participation opportunities for girls in tennis, a pivotal first step towards equality. To watch the video, click here.

What Is He Significance of Official Sponsors Like Autologica for the National Bank Open? 

Autologica is significant to helping continue to grow the game of Tennis in Canada.  All money is reinvested into growing the game of Tennis in Canada.  Autologica helps us continue to improve our Purpose, Vision & Mission.

PURPOSE | To improve the lives of Canadians through tennis.

VISION | To become a world-leading tennis nation.

MISSION | To lead the growth of tennis in Canada.