MONTREAL, August 2, 2019 (Tennis Canada Press Release)
Tennis Canada announced on Thursday that Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the recipient of the final main draw Wild Card for the 2019 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. This will be his fifth time playing on the courts in Montreal, having won the title in Toronto back in 2014.
Having reached a career-high ranking of no. 5 in 2012, the 34-year-old has struggled with injury problems in the last few years, undergoing left knee surgery in April of 2018. Despite being sidelined for over seven months, he has been getting some good results during his return to the game. He reached the third round at Wimbledon and was crowned champion at the ATP 250 event in Montpellier, France earlier this year. Among his numerous accomplishments, he won the silver medal in doubles at the 2012 London Olympics and was a member of the winning Davis Cup team in 2017, when France defeated Belgium in the final.
“We are extremely pleased to be welcoming Tsonga back to Montreal. A former champion and a tournament regular, he has become a crowd favourite over the years,” stated Eugène Lapierre, Tournament Director. “Despite struggling with a few injuries, he has been an important figure on the ATP Tour since 2007 and a great ambassador for the sport. We are looking forward to seeing him back on court.”
Tsonga, currently ranked no. 70, has had great success at the Rogers Cup, not only capturing the title in 2014 in Toronto, but also making a number of deep runs on the courts at IGA Stadium. In fact, his best results in Montreal came in 2009 and 2011 when he reached the semi-finals.
It was also announced that former World No. 1 Andy Murray will be competing in the doubles draw in Montreal. He will be playing alongside Feliciano Lopez of Spain, with whom he partnered up with earlier this year at the Fever-Tree Championships in Great Britain. The duo actually took home the title playing in their first tournament together.
Owned and operated by Tennis Canada, the prestigious Rogers Cup presented by National Bank attracts the biggest stars in tennis year after year. In 2019, the men’s event will take place at IGA Stadium in Montreal from August 2 to 11.
Tickets are on sale online at www.couperogers.com for the Montreal tournament.
