Tennis Canada, organizer of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers (NBO), is excited to announce the Road to the NBO, an innovative competition designed to increase engagement and participation in the professional tournaments held in Canada.
For the first time, a singles main-draw wild card to the NBO will be awarded to the Canadian man and woman who have accumulated the most points in the national events preceding Canada’s premier international tennis tournament. The 2025 edition of the NBO will be held from July 26 to August 7 with the WTA heading to Montreal and Toronto hosting the ATP.
“This new competition is sure to build the excitement in the months leading up to the 2025 National Bank Open, and we can’t wait to see how it translates onto the court,” said Valérie Tétreault, Tournament Director of the NBO in Montreal.
“Not only do we believe that this is a fantastic way to elevate our Canadian events, but it will also create some interesting and inspiring storylines in the run-up to our biggest tournament of the year. For the players themselves, the Road to the NBO offers a unique opportunity to showcase their skills on home soil and ultimately gives everyone an equal chance of earning a spot in the main draw of our world-class event.”
So, how does the Road to the NBO work?
ROAD TO THE NBO FORMAT
The Road to the NBO is already underway, as professional events organized after the 2024 edition of the NBO have been factored into the current standings. Therefore, the competition kicked off for the women the week of August 19, 2024, while the men started their wild-card race the week of October 7, 2024. Kayla Cross currently sits atop the standings for the Montreal wild card with 120 points, and Liam Draxl leads the men’s competition with 72 points.
The points system used to determine the standings is based on the ATP and WTA singles ranking points earned by each participant at the dedicated events. To add to the anticipation and to reward in-form players come summertime, the events held in July will be worth double the points. In the event of a tie, the player who is ranked the highest following the update on July 21, 2025, will receive the wild card. If the player at the top of the standings by the end of the competition cannot participate at the NBO, or has already received direct entry into the tournament, the wild card will be allocated to the next player with the most points.
In addition, the player with the second-most points in the men’s Road to the NBO standings will receive a wild card into the NBO qualifiers. On the women’s side, given the high level of competition among players, Tennis Canada has confirmed its intention to host a pre-qualifying tournament to determine two more wild cards for the NBO. The player who finishes first will receive a wild card into the singles main draw, while the runner-up will receive a qualifying wild card. The 2025 Road to the NBO champion will not take part in the event. More details regarding the pre-qualifying tournament will be announced in due course.
Here are the current standings as of Feb. 24, 2025:
“The National Bank Open is entering a new era, with its expanded 12-day format and 96-player main draw, which has opened the door for us to explore different and creative ways of allocating our wild cards,” said Guillaume Marx, Vice-President of High Performance at Tennis Canada.
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“We now have eight main-draw wild cards for the WTA event and five on the ATP side, giving us the opportunity to create the Road to the NBO, a concept we’ve considered doing for many years. One thing we’ve always said is how important our Canadian professional events are to the growth of the game and the professional pipeline in our country, and this competition only reinforces that belief. Players will now have even more reasons to play at home, and we can’t wait to see how things unfold as the summer approaches.”
Women’s Road to the NBO (Montreal)
- W35 Saskatoon (August 19-25, 2024)
- Edmonton National Bank Challenger (October 7-13, 2024)
- Calgary National Bank Challenger (October 14-20, 2024)
- Saguenay National Bank Challenger (October 20-27, 2024)
- Tevlin Challenger (October 27-November 3, 2024)
- W15 Trois-Rivières (March 3-9, 2025)
- W15 Montreal (March 11-17, 2025)
- Granby National Bank Championships (July 13-20, 2025)*
Men’s Road to the NBO (Toronto)
- Edmonton National Bank Challenger (October 7-13, 2024)
- Calgary National Bank Challenger (October 14-20, 2024)
- M25 Saint-August (November 4-10, 2024)
- Drummondville National Bank Challenger (November 11-17, 2024)
- M15 Sherbrooke (March 2-9, 2025)
- M15 Montreal (March 11-17, 2025)
- M25 Laval (June 30-July 6, 2025)*
- Winnipeg National Bank Challenger (July 7-14, 2025)*
- Granby National Bank Championships (July 13-20, 2025)*
*Tournaments are worth double points in the Road to the NBO standings.
The next events that will count in the Road to the NBO will take place the first week of March, with the men competing in Sherbrooke, QC and the women in Trois-Rivières, QC.
To view the current standings and to follow the Road to the NBO, click here.
The ATP's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers July 27 to Aug. 7, 2025 at Sobeys Stadium. 2025 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!
The WTA's best return to Montreal this summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers July 26 to Aug. 7, 2025 at IGA Stadium. 2025 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!
Feature Photo: Arianne Bergeron/Penguin
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