Friday morning, at Montreal’s IGA Stadium, Tennis Canada formally launched the Billie Jean King Cup Champions Tour, a journey that may see the famend trophy from the worldwide crew competitors make stops in all 10 provinces throughout the nation.
Staff Canada, comprised of Leylah Annie Fernandez (Laval, QC), Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON), Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC), Marina Stakusic (Mississauga, ON), and Eugenie Bouchard (Montreal, QC), made historical past final November by successful its maiden Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge title after defeating Italy within the 2023 Finals held in Seville, Spain. Canada grew to become the thirteenth nation to be topped champions of the Billie Jean King Cup, which was based in 1963.
“As we had the chance to embark on a primary tour final 12 months to commemorate our maiden males’s title on the Davis Cup, we’re thrilled to take action once more this 12 months, this time to have fun our ladies’s crew,” mentioned Gavin Ziv, CEO of Tennis Canada. “The rise of Canadian ladies’s tennis is the results of the efforts of numerous people, previous and current. From employees instantly concerned on the court docket with our athletes to particular person organizations supporting the event of our sport, many individuals have performed a task in our success, and it was important for us to supply everybody with the chance to have fun our historic victory on the Billie Jean King Cup.”
“Phrases can not describe the sensation of satisfaction our crew skilled once we lifted the trophy in November. This second marked historical past, and we’re very excited to have fun this success with all Canadians,” mentioned Heidi El Tabakh, Staff Canada Captain for the Billie Jean King Cup. “Above all, this title is an unprecedented collective achievement, and we look ahead to reliving this particular occasion with as many individuals as doable because the trophy travels throughout the nation.”
TOUR DETAILS
Canada’s victory on the Billie Jean King Cup has been years within the making, ensuing from the arduous work of so many pioneers who broke limitations to make Canadian ladies’s tennis what it’s at this time. As such, the tour will intention to have fun the previous, current, and way forward for the game, highlighting not solely among the people who’ve enabled our feminine athletes to succeed in the very best ranges of world tennis, but additionally how this success will create extra alternatives for future generations.
With gender fairness being on the forefront of Tennis Canada’s priorities, the Billie Jean King Cup Champions Tour will create extra alternatives for girls and women to take part within the sport. Participating actions from the Recreation. Set. Fairness. Initiative, the technique developed by Tennis Canada and Nationwide Financial institution to advance gender fairness in tennis, shall be provided in any respect stops to supply skilled growth alternatives for girls leaders and encourage the subsequent technology of ladies athletes. These actions will embrace panels with varied people from the tennis world in addition to Women. Set. Match. tournaments, that are tennis occasions particularly created for younger women.
Along with being showcased at tournaments, tennis golf equipment, metropolis halls, and public areas, the trophy shall be featured on the Nationwide Financial institution Open offered by Rogers in each cities.
In Toronto, with the WTA again on the town, a particular on-court ceremony with the successful crew shall be held as a part of the occasion’s opening night time (Tuesday, August 6) to have fun their historic achievement. The crew, which shall be reunited for the primary time for the reason that Finals final November, may even obtain their championship rings as a part of the festivities.
In Montreal, a ceremony with the trophy will happen on court docket at the start of the night session on Sunday, August 11. Many former Staff Canada gamers from Quebec who competed within the Billie Jean King Cup previously shall be in attendance to commemorate not solely the 2023 title, but additionally all of the work carried out previously a long time that led to this achievement.
Particular particulars concerning every cease shall be confirmed within the coming weeks. That mentioned, the trophy will comply with this itinerary for the subsequent few months (dates are topic to alter):
April 19 – Montreal, QC (official launch)
Might 8-12 – Vancouver, BC
Might 14 – 16 – Calgary, AB
Might 17 – 19 – Edmonton, AB
Might 22 – 24 – Saskatoon, SK
Might 26 – 30 – Winnipeg, MB
June 1 – 8 – Toronto, ON
June 12 – 16 – Halifax, NS
June 20 – 23 – Charlottetown, PE
June 25 – 30 – Moncton/Fredericton, NB
July 4 – August 7 – Ontario
August 9 – 31 – Montreal & Quebec
Following Friday’s launch, the trophy shall be heading to Western Canada for your complete month of Might, beginning its journey in Vancouver. Vancouverite Rebecca Marino can also be set to take part in an occasion on the Jericho Tennis Membership on Might 10.
At every cease, followers may have the chance to pose with the trophy for photographs, and they’re inspired to share their expertise on social media utilizing the next hashtags: #BJKCChamps23 and #CoupeBJKChamps23.
Extra details about the Billie Jean King Cup Champions Tour is offered on the Tennis Canada web site.
The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge is the ladies’s World Cup of Tennis. Beforehand often known as the Fed Cup, it’s the largest annual worldwide crew competitors in ladies’s sport, with a file 138 nations entered in 2024.
Learn additionally: All the pieces You Must Find out about Tennis on the 2024 Paris Olympics
LAUNCH EVENTS IN MONTREAL
To formally unveil the Billie Jean King Cup Champions Tour, a primary occasion was organized at this time at Montreal’s IGA Stadium, that includes a number of famend tennis personalities in a panel dialogue that touched many topics, together with the magnitude of successful the title, the efforts that led to it and what it means for future generations.
The panelists included
Aleksandra Wozniak, former WTA participant with probably the most victories in Canadian Billie Jean King Cup historical past (40).
Marie-Ève Pelletier, former participant who reached a world rating of 106 in singles and 54 in doubles and now tennis analyst for TVA Sports activities.
Guillaume Marx, Vice President, Excessive Efficiency at Tennis Canada.
Mirka Delaney, 14-year-old junior participant from Quebec.
Valérie Tétreault, Vice President, Communications & Skilled Occasions at Tennis Canada and Director of the Nationwide Financial institution Open in Montreal.
Staff Canada’s Captain Heidi El Tabakh additionally made a digital look and provided her perspective on the crew’s sensational victory in Seville.
The Billie Jean King Cup trophy may even make an look in a collection on the Bell Centre on April 20 in the course of the PWHL recreation between the Montreal and Toronto groups. Throughout this occasion, which is anticipated to interrupt the league’s attendance file and proceed to set new heights for girls’s sports activities, gamers from the Montreal crew will take photographs with Quebec feminine athletes who’ve been a part of Staff Canada previously, specifically Aleksandra Wozniak, Marie-Ève Pelletier, and Valérie Tétreault.
