10 Things To Watch In Montreal

Rafael Nadal will look to win back-to-back Canadian ATP Masters 1000 titles this week in Montreal as the all-time Masters 1000 titles leader (34) headlines the field in Canada. Here are 10 things to watch in Montreal:

1. Sixth Of 2019: The Coupe Rogers in Montreal is the sixth ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season, and for the first time since 2003 there have been five different Masters 1000 champions going into the Canadian Masters 1000 event.

2. Former Champions: Four-time champion Rafael Nadal (2005, 2008, 2013, 2018), Alexander Zverev (2017), and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2014) are the former winners in the draw.

3. 40th Anniversary: This is the 40th edition of a professional tournament being held at the renovated former home of the Montreal Expos, Jarry Park Stadium. In 1980, Martina Navratilova defeated Greer Stevens in the final of the first Montreal tournament. This was a different event from the Canadian Open. There have been 13 different men’s winners in Montreal (since 1981) with Lendl leading the way with five titles, followed by Novak Djokovic (2), Andy Murray (2) and Nadal (2).

4. Reigning Champion: Nadal is the No. 1 seed for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall at the Coupe Rogers. He has a 34-8 overall record and his four titles are the most in an Masters 1000 hard-court tournament. As the top seed in the draw, Nadal has a 15-2 record (2005 – Won, 2010 – SF, 2017 – 3R, 2018 – Won).

5. Thiem Looks For First Win: No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem is looking for his first Coupe Rogers win (0-5). Thiem won his third ATP Tour title of the season and his first career on home soil on Saturday in Kitzbuhel.

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6. Felix Makes Home Debut: Canadian No. 2 Felix Auger-Aliassime is making his main draw debut in his hometown tournament. A year ago, the #NextGenATP star was ranked No. 133 when he won his main draw debut in Toronto. The youngest player in the Top 100 ATP Rankings turns 19 on Thursday.

7. Canadian Top 100 Milestone: This is the first time in tournament history four Canadians are in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, led by No. 19 Milos Raonic, who reached the final in 2013.

8. Masters 1000 Wins Leaderboard: Roger Federer has the most Masters 1000 wins (378) and Nadal is in second place with 377. Nadal has the most Masters 1000 titles (34), one better than Djokovic.

9. Monfils Eyes 100th Win: No. 16 seed Gael Monfils has a 99-76 career record in Masters 1000 tournaments. He is trying to become the 18th active player to win 100 Masters 1000 matches.

10. Strong Doubles Draw: Eight of the Top 10 teams in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings are in Montreal, led by the No. 1 duo of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Colombia. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, the seventh seeds, are four-time champions.

Three-time singles winner Andy Murray is playing doubles at the Coupe Rogers for the first time since 2015. He is teaming with Feliciano Lopez for the second time (Queen’s Club champions). Murray was a doubles finalist in Montreal in 2013 (w/Colin Fleming).