The Oldest and Newest Tennis Tournaments
Tennis has been a competitive sport since the late nineteenth century. While tennis has many long-running traditional events that viewers and professionals can mark on the calendar, the sport also has some new tournaments that keep the sport fresh while keeping professionals sharp and the prize money going. Here are some of the oldest and newest tennis tournaments.
United Cup
There are plenty of old-school tennis tournaments with storied histories. The United Cup, which takes place in Australia, is on the newer end of the scale. The tournament started in 2022 as a tune-up for the Australian Open. Adding a new tournament in the area makes sense, as it adds some variety and new locations to a sport that has been around for quite a while, much like how new poker events can be found through the official WSOP site and casinos.com. So far, Australia hasn’t had much success yet, as the United States and Poland have dominated the event.
Canadian Open
The Canadian Open was established in 1881, but due to sponsorships, many recognize the tournament by its new name, the National Bank Open by Rogers. It is also called the Rogers Cup. This competition is one of nine annual competitions hosted by the Association of Tennis Professionals (or ATP). The tournament has changed over the years, starting with a much smaller venue at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, with the men’s tournament beginning a decade before the women’s.
This open has been known to attract significant talent and have some outstanding matches. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras faced off in the 1995 finals, with Agassi taking the prize this time. The women’s side has also attracted international talent. Bianca Andreescu became the most recent Canadian-born title winner after defeating Serena Williams in the 2019 championship.
It’s been a while since a Canadian male tennis player won the tournament, with Robert Bédard taking the cup in 1958. However, Europe tends to dominate these tournaments, so it’s no surprise that Canadians don’t often get that far even on their home turf.
Tennis tournaments also often feature signature foods and drinks. The Canadian Open is known for having guests and players try an Aperol spritz, an orange-colored cocktail featuring prosecco, Aperol, and club soda garnished with an orange.
US Open
The Canadian Open and US Open were established in the same year, 1881, while the US Open added women’s competitions just a few years later. The US Open is part of the Grand Slam of tennis, which makes it unique compared to the Canadian Open. Hosted at the USTA National Tennis Center, the tournament has hosted some unique matches, including the famous sister’s face off between Venus and Serena Williams in 2001.
There have been some unusual happenings over the long history of the US Open, including a tournament victory by amateur player Arthur Ashe, who was denied prize money. The reason? He was not an eligible professional player, in part because he was serving in the armed forces at the time. Ashe was also the first African American male to win the tournament and received $20 as his reward instead of the $14,000 total prize. Fortunately, he went on to have a successful tennis career, winning over $1.5 million and having the main stadium at the US Open named after him.
Like the Canadian Open, the US Open has traditional food and drinks, including the Honey Deuce cocktail, which is raspberry liqueur with lemonade, vodka, and honeydew melon. It’s quite refreshing for a tournament often taking place in the late summer heat of New York.
Wimbledon
Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and the oldest Grand Slam event in tennis, though only by a few years, as the competition started in 1887. Wimbledon is quite traditional and, unlike other tennis events, has been played on a grass court for over 145 years, while other fields have changed occasionally. Part of Wimbledon’s draw is the social scene, which has an all-white dress code and often features appearances by members of the royal family. It doesn’t hurt that Wimbledon features one of the biggest grand prizes in tennis, with $2.5 million on the line awarded to the best tennis players in the world.
