2020 Canadian Open (tennis)

The 2020 Canadian Open (branded as the 2020 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank for sponsorship reasons) were outdoor hard court tennis tournaments that were scheduled to be played from August 8–16, 2020, as part of the 2020 US Open Series. The men's event was scheduled to be played at Aviva Centre in Toronto, and the women's tournament at IGA Stadium in Montreal. It was to be the 140th edition of the men's tournament — a Masters 1000 tournament on 2020 ATP Tour, and the 129th edition of the women's tournament — a Premier 5 event on the 2020 WTA Tour.

2020 Canadian Open
DateCancelled
Edition140th
CategoryATP Tour Masters 1000 (men)
WTA Premier 5 (women)
SurfaceHard / outdoor
LocationToronto, Canada (men)
Montreal, Quebec (women)
2019 Champions
Men's Singles
Rafael Nadal
Women's Singles
Bianca Andreescu
Men's Doubles
Marcel Granollers / Horacio Zeballos
Women's Doubles
Barbora Krejčíková / Kateřina Siniaková

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local restrictions, and the suspension of all play on the ATP and WTA tours, the women's tournament in Montreal was cancelled by Tennis Canada on April 11. At the time, the men's tournament was still tentatively set to be played in Toronto, but was eventually cancelled on June 17. As per annual rotation, Toronto and Montreal will host the men's and women's tournaments in 2021 respectively.

Impact of the coronavirus pandemic
See also: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, and COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec

The men's and women's tournaments alternate between Toronto and Montreal annually. On April 11, pursuant to a request by the province of Quebec (which has been the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada) for all cultural and sporting events to be cancelled through August,[1] Tennis Canada announced that the women's half of the Canadian Open, as part of the 2020 WTA Tour, would be cancelled. As a make-up, the 2021 Canadian Open's women's tournament will be held in Montreal instead (rather than Toronto per the rotation). The men's half of the event was still tentatively scheduled, but was still at risk of cancellation or postponement if the ATP and WTA extended their suspension of play into August, or if Toronto or the province of Ontario made a similar order that also applies to the period.[2][3] Toronto had already cancelled all city-led major events, festivals, conferences, permits and cultural programs until June 30. Although subject to provincial restrictions on public gatherings, Mayor John Tory stated that these did not necessarily bar the hosting of sporting events.[4][5]

On June 17, 2020, Tennis Canada officially announced that the men's tournament had also been cancelled, citing logistical and safety issues that would be present for players and staff even if the event were to be held behind closed doors, including a federal health order requiring 14 days self-isolation upon arrival for anyone travelling to Canada.[6]

References
  1. Staff (2020-04-10). "Quebec calls for cancellation of all sports, festivals and cultural events until Aug. 31". CTV News Montreal. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  2. "Tennis Canada announces postponement of Rogers Cup, which was scheduled for August". CTV News Montreal. 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  3. Masters, Mark (2020-04-11). "Montreal postponed, Toronto event "in jeopardy" as Tennis Canada faces "severe" economic challenge". TSN. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  4. "Coronavirus: City of Toronto cancels events through June 30, including Pride Parade". Global News. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  5. "Toronto official: Ban doesn't include pro teams". ESPN.com. 2020-03-31. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  6. "Toronto loses Rogers Cup men's event for 2020 because of COVID-19". CTV News Toronto. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
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