Alberta Open to root itself at U of A
Historic tournament will now be held annually at U of Alberta tennis centre
It might sound strange to hear how something that’s been around for 106 years is deciding to put down roots.
But that’s the goal of the Alberta Open Tennis Tournament, as it looks to make Edmonton its permanent home after a century of roaming the province.
The event, which takes place Thursday to Sunday at the University of Alberta outdoor tennis centre, is aiming to carve a niche into the summer sports market, giving city tennis players something they can call their own.
“It has moved around the province, mostly between Edmonton and Calgary, but it’s been held in Banff, Red Deer,” said David Rossolatos, communications co-ordinator for Tennis Alberta. “But from this year forward, it will be held in Edmonton exclusively. It was a decision made by our executive director so we can build support and draw more and higher calibre players.”
The organizers hope this is the start of a long and healthy relationship between the city and the tournament that will allow them to cultivate a strong following and develop long-term relationships rather than having to start from scratch every year.
“We saw that each time we flipped between cities, it took a lot of resources and we had to find new sponsors who were local,” said Rossolatos. “So, since Edmonton is the headquarters of Tennis Alberta, and with the future development of a Tennis Alberta facility in Edmonton, it would be wise to keep the Alberta Open here permanently.”
The tournament, which began in 1906 and stopped only for the First and Second World Wars, features players in all divisions, ranging from beginners to professionals.
“It has a professional open category that features prize money, but it also offers levels of competition for all levels of play — beginners, intermediate and advanced,” said Rossolatos. “We even have wheelchair tennis.”
The professionals aren’t going to be knocking down the door to Wimbledon anytime soon, but they do play at a level most people around here don’t get to see often.
“They are all semi-professional, I would call them,” said tournament co-ordinator Derek van den Berg. “They are not currently making a living off of tennis, but they are trying to.”
The highest level of tennis is an incredibly hard circuit to crack, meaning, like in golf, there are some extremely talented players on the satellite tours.
“You have to be top 250 in the world just to break even, and it’s only the top 150 in the world who are actually making a living at tennis,” said van den Berg. “You compare that to the tens of thousands of people who are trying to play pro tennis, a lot of people are not making it but are still excellent players.”
Among the pros competing this year are Canadians Kevin Kylar, Riaan du Toit, Andrew Ochotta and a pair of players from the Bahamas Davis Cup team, Philip Major and Jody Turnquest.
The top women’s player is Maria Patrascu of Toronto, who had a career-high ranking of No. 819.
The prize money is $2,000 for the men’s winner and $1,000 for the women’s, with the finals going Sunday on the U of A show court.
Rossolatos says tennis has a strong but quiet following in Edmonton, and if you give fans something decent to support, they will come out and fly the flag.
“According to the last numbers we had, there are more than 10,000 registered players in Edmonton,” he said. “And I’m sure there are many more who play on the outdoor courts around the city.”
The event will also offer an interactive element, the Swing/Smash Court where people can try out the latest equipment.
“They can also put on an Apple watchandmeasurehowfasttheirhit and their serve is,” Rossolatos said. It’s the start, they hope, of something big.
“We’re kind of looking at this as the rebuilding year,” said van den Berg. “The first year we’ve ever had top Canadian players travelling for the event. I think we’re going to attract a decent crowd.”