BJ Del Conte
July 2007
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| Aleksandra Wozniak |
It’s a good thing rising Canadian tennis ace Aleksandra Wozniak speaks six languages. Her competition this summer in Montreal and Beijing is coming from the four corners of the world.
The Blainville, Que., native will play in front of a hometown crowd at the Rogers Cup this month (July 26-Aug. 3) in Montreal. Then she hopes to head to Beijing (Aug. 8-24) to represent Canada at the Olympics.
“It’s exceptional to play in front of your family, your friends and your sponsors. I’ll be nervous. I want to please everyone and I want to win,” the fleet-footed 20-year-old said.
Wozniak was ranked no. 105 in the world before her upsets in Paris and was the no. 3 junior before turning pro. She is coached by her father, Antoni, a star athlete who played soccer for Poland.
At 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds, she combines a power game with a refined touch. “My game is all court. It’s offensive, aggressive tennis. I like to be precise where I put the ball.”
Winners of the women’s tournament include Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Martina Hingis, Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters. This year’s women’s prize totals $1.34 million.
Past champions of the men’s event – which alternates, like the women’s tournament, between Toronto and Montreal — include legendary tennis names like John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer. Total prize money this year is $2.45 million U.S. This year’s men’s event will be held July 19-27 in Toronto.
A Masters Series Event, the Rogers Cup is the top-rated one-week event in the world. Also known as the Canadian Open and dating to 1881, it’s the third longest-running event of its kind, behind Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Toronto tournament director Karl Hale expects Canada’s Frank Dancevic and Peter Polansky to compete with international stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic.
“It marks the beginning of their hard-core season. They’re trained and ready for it. They’ve finished Wimbledon and it’s just before the Olympics,” Hale said.
Last year, the Toronto event set a Canadian and world attendance record for a one-week event: More than 182,000 people.
The appeal is mostly tennis, but the event’s international flavour also draws the crowd, Hale said. The ethnic diversity of Canada attracts people to the courts in north Toronto and to their TV screens.
“They support their countrymen. The Serbs love Djokovic. The Greeks love (Marcos) Baghdatis. It’s a very, very noisy crowd,” Hale said.
For the Montreal tournament, Ana Ivanovic, known as the “Sexy Serb” for her good looks and glamour shots, has confirmed her attendance.
Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic tennis teams weren’t finalized at press time, but look for Daniel Nestor in doubles — he and Sébastien Lareau won gold at the 2000 Games in Sydney. Canada’s top wheelchair player, Vancouver’s Yuka Chokyu, is a strong possibility for the Paralympics.
Get in the swing
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Rogers Cup – Men: Toronto July 19-27
Rogers Cup – Women: Montreal July 26-Aug. 3
2008 Olympic Games: Beijing Aug. 8-24
2008 Paralympics: Sept. 6-17