June 18, 2014, Toronto, ON – Tennis Canada announced Wednesday the introduction of a new theme for the 2014 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Toronto – “The Art of Tennis”. Combining art and tennis in creative ways around the grounds, the theme will be incorporated via different forms including music, painting, landscaping, sculpture and graphic design.
“There is an inherent link between tennis and art as there is artistry and beauty in the sport – whether it is in the movement of the players or the way a point is constructed from beginning to end,” said Karl Hale, tournament director, Rogers Cup Toronto. “We wanted to take this element from on-court and apply it to different art forms around the grounds to enhance the fan experience and broaden the scope of the tournament outside the world of sport. There is a mastery to both tennis and art and it will be on display in full force during the week of Rogers Cup.”
Several activities will be staged throughout the week to help bring the “Art of Tennis” theme to life. Toronto-based artist David Arrigo will be painting a 16-foot mural live on-site in the Tennis Canada booth throughout the entire tournament. The painting will focus on Canada’s Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams and their recent success in the international tennis competitions.
In addition, the popular Art Battle of Canada will be coming to Rexall Centre. The events will feature ATP World Tour stars and professional artists who will create their own tennis-themed paintings in a timed art battle. All paintings will then be auctioned off live to fans on-site who could end up taking home a one-of-a-kind work-of-art made by their favourite player. Art Battle Canada is a nation-wide series of live competitive painting events. This year over 1000 artists have competed in local tournaments of talent and courage to determine who will earn a spot at Nationals, being held July 26 in Toronto at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (formerly Maple Leaf Gardens). For more information, please visit artbattle.com/national-championship.
On the music front, The Bryan Brothers Band, featuring world No. 1 doubles tandem Mike and Bob Bryan along with American Idol Season 7 finalist Michael Johns, will perform for fans on Tuesday, August 5 prior to the start of the night session. The band, which also recently played at Indian Wells in March, will be performing for the first time in Canada the week of Rogers Cup. Several other local music acts will perform on the main stage throughout the course of the tournament as well.
The theme will also be incorporated into the overall look and feel of this year’s Rogers Cup. This will include custom landscaping to give the site a fresh look with the help of HGTV and CityTV personality Carson Arthur, one of Canada’s leading outdoor design and landscaping experts. In addition, there will be five life-size wire sculptures of top ATP World Tour players, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Milos Raonic, placed around the grounds for fans to view and take photos with. The wire sculptures are being created by renowned Toronto artist Rudy Kehkla.
Also in line with the theme, a limited edition poster and souvenir magazine cover has been designed by New York-based artist Brendan Murphy. In addition to purchasing a souvenir magazine with the standard Rogers Cup creative, fans will have the chance to buy a limited number of magazines that will be printed with the artist’s graphic design as a collector’s item. See below for a first look at the cover artwork.
