Yesterday was rainy and today was sweltering out at the Rogers Cup venue. And if the spectators were roasting, it had to be very tough conditions for the players on court.
I always wanted to attend this tournament--which always used to be called the Canadian Open--since the days I watched it on television as a kid (a Borg/Lendl final is promient in my memory). What I miss is the red trim that used to adorn the court. (Just like the Queens Club tourney, red has been abandoned in favor of blue.)
Now that I've seen this tourney staged in both Montreal and Toronto, I figure I have hit all the sites of all the major North American tennis tournaments--most of them multiple times. I came up with a list of pro events I have seen in person:
- U.S. Open [Grand Slam]--many times
- Stratton Mountain/New Haven [ATP/WTA] (currently the Pilot Pen)--many times, since I used to work for the tournament
- Key Biscayne Masters [ATP/WTA] (currently the Sony Ericsson Open)--half-dozen or so times
- Indian Wells Masters [ATP/WTA] (currently the BNP Paribas Open)--half-dozen or so times
- Montréal/Toronto Masters [ATP/WTA] (currently the Rogers Cup--once at each site
- Cincinnati Masters [ATP/WTA] (currently the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters)--once
- Newport [ATP]--a couple times
- Boston (Longwood) [ATP]--a couple times
- Delray Beach [ATP]--once
- Stanford [WTA]--once
I've also attended Davis Cup ties in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
and outside North America I have been to:
- Wimbledon [Grand Slam]--at least a half-dozen times
- Australian Open [Grand Slam]--twice
- Roland Garros (French Open) [Grand Slam]--once
- Sydney [ATP/WTA]--twice
- Melbourne (Kooyong Club) men's exhibition--twice
- Queens Club, London [ATP]--once
So what's left on my "someday" list?
- Monte Carlo
- Rome
- ATP Finals (currently in London)