As far as our tennis memory can recall, not many Masters 1000 events have had to grapple with as many aggravating headaches as the 2024 tournament in Montréal.
For instance:
- Fewer headliners, who competed in the Olympic event that ended just 48 hours before the start of the main draw.
- A Monday final so players had enough time to fly in from Paris despite the change of court and fatigue.
- Terrible weather that cancelled three sessions, Thursday evening, Friday afternoon and Friday evening, and delayed the weekend matches.
- Swirling winds that bothered the players.
- Packed schedules of two matches a day for the players. Figuring out how to end the tournament on time definitely required some creativity.
At her tournament wrap-up presser on Monday afternoon, director Valérie Tétreault talked about the challenges and more.
“One word sums up what we experienced: adaptability,” she said. “The fans are still here, and the crowds at the Family Weekend and qualifying tournament are proof of that. We’ll likely reach 225,000 spectators despite the rain, but we would have smashed our record of 237,000. We were aiming for 255,000, and we would have attained it if Mother Nature had cooperated.”
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But that won’t keep the NBO from trying to break its own record. “We’ll be back next year with a new 96-player format. As you know, all our profits are invested in Canadian tennis, and we expect to have more ticket holders and more profits next year.”
And some negatives, too
Valérie Tétreault also fielded questions about the negatives.
“Even in the negatives, there’s always some positive,” she explained. “We were constantly reworking the program and schedules. It’s like hosting a huge family at the stadium. We want to welcome everyone and make sure their experience is rewarding.”
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“This year, we were always in adjustment mode, and we did everything we could. Milos Raonic withdrawing from the opening match forced us to adjust in a hurry, and everything after that was about recovering.”
When asked, the tournament director said fans had experienced some unusual but interesting things.
“They discovered new players, including finalist Alexei Popyrin, who’s like our Cinderella story this week. As the ATP said, the tournament’s strength lies in the people behind it and the fans in the stands.”
As for the 2025 National Bank Open presented by Rogers, Valérie Tétreault hopes the event will attract even more people, and that the major changes that lie ahead will be a source of satisfaction for Montréal and for tennis.
Featured photo by: Pascal Ratthé
