TORONTO, July 6, 2017
Tennis Canada announced Thursday that it is partnering with Cambria and world-renowned Canadian design firm Yabu Pushelberg to create an iconic new trophy design for the 2017 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. The champions in both Toronto and Montreal will lift the new trophies following the finals on Sunday August 13.
“This is the perfect time for a new trophy as we celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary this year and look ahead to the future,” said Karl Hale, tournament director, Rogers Cup Toronto. “We are thrilled and honoured to have two industry-leading design companies, Yabu Pushelberg and Cambria, collaborate to produce what we know will be a world-class trophy. Rogers Cup is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the professional tours and we hope this trophy will not only serve to elevate the event, but also become synonymous with Rogers Cup and Canada. We can’t wait to see who will be the first champions to hold the new trophies.”
Yabu Pushelberg, founded by Canadians Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu, is one of the most recognizable design firms in the world. Among its recent projects was designing Canada Olympic House at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the Four Seasons New York Downtown.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our team to celebrate Canadian excellence and athleticism through design,” said George Yabu. “We want to capture the verve and history of the tournament through progressive use of materiality and sophisticated form.”
The trophy is set to feature both a Canadian theme and materials to reflect the long history and importance of Rogers Cup in Canadian tennis, in the country’s 150th anniversary year. Rogers Cup is the third-oldest tournament in all of tennis behind only Wimbledon and the US Open, with the first champion crowned on Canadian courts in 1881 for the men and 1892 for the women.
Cambria, a Silver Sponsor of Rogers Cup in both Toronto and Montreal, will provide quartz materials and state-of-the-art fabrication for the new trophies. There will be new trophies created for both the men’s and women’s singles and doubles champions, as well as the runners-up in each category.
“The spirit of this great collaboration really fits within Cambria’s core competency of design without compromise,” said Summer Kath, SVP of Design and Business Development for Cambria. “We thrive on crafting best in-class, high impact partnerships that drive innovation and purpose. Yabu Pushelberg was a natural fit and has pristinely demonstrated their high integrity and design excellence. The sophisticated, Canadian strong trophy design and everything it stands for makes us proud to be involved and look forward to the new iconic Rogers Cup symbol to take on a life of its own.”
Working from a distinctly Canadian perspective, the resulting design for the Rogers Cup trophy by Yabu Pushelberg is bold and sophisticated; succinctly representing the verve, passion and foundation of the storied tournament. The faceted, punchy upward trajectory of the maple leaf, slightly tapered at its base, is expressive of the drive for excellence and precision of the sport it celebrates.
A simple approach to materiality, made of subtly veined white Cambria quartz, with a pitched cast-metal cap in gold or silver, celebrates the best qualities of the stone. The faceted profile is elegant, striking and is instantly recognizable – a modern icon symbolic of victory for years to come.
The new trophies will be unveiled at special events in both Toronto and Montreal, to be announced at a later date. Rogers Cup presented by National Bank will bring the best tennis players in the world to Canada this summer, with the 125th anniversary year of the women’s tournament running from August 5-13, 2017 at Aviva Centre in Toronto and the stars of the ATP World Tour at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal from August 4-13, 2017. For more information, please visit rogerscup.com and couperogers.com.
