Benefactors bring Open tournament to Toronto, Rogers Cup Players Lounge renamed

Tennis Canada announced Wednesday that Tennis Matters benefactors Mike and Nicole Tevlin have renewed their commitment to Canadian tennis with a second $500,000 pledge. The donation is the first major gift renewal in the brief history of the campaign. As a result of the Tevlin donation, Tennis Canada will host a new combined event, the Tevlin Open, consisting of a $50,000 women’s and $15,000 men’s professional tournament simultaneously in Toronto beginning in 2010. In honour of the significant contribution, Tennis Canada has renamed the popular players lounge used primarily during the world-class Rogers Cup to the Tevlin Players Lounge.

“The Tevlin Family are true tennis champions who exemplify commitment,” said Michael S. Downey, president and chief executive officer, Tennis Canada. “Through their generosity, tennis in Canada is growing. They are not only benefactors, Mike and Nicole genuinely care about the development of our sport. We are sincerely appreciative of their continued support that has had a direct impact on high performance tennis within Canada.”

The fifth edition of the Tevlin Challenger is currently being held at the Centre of Excellence on the grounds of Rexall Centre at York University. In its first three years, the tournament was staged as a $25,000 Challenger but since last year, thanks to the Tevlins, the event has grown to the current $50,000 prize money level. With the goal of providing increased international competition for Canadians on home soil, the Tevlin Challenger has an impressive list of past champions, including Aleksandra Wozniak (Blainville, Quebec), who won the event in 2005 and currently stands at No. 35 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Stephanie Dubois (Laval, Quebec) was a finalist in 2008 and Canadians have won the doubles crown twice. Wimbledon quarter-finalist and Top 30 player Sabine Lisicki of Germany captured the title in 2007.

“The Tennis Matters campaign has had such a positive impact on our sport because of extraordinary individuals such as Mike and Nicole Tevlin,” said Gord Kirke, chair, Tennis Matters campaign.

Tennis Matters is the fund development campaign for Tennis Canada. To date, Tennis Matters has raised more than $12 million for high performance tennis, community tennis, coaching development and competitive structure in Canada.

“Watching young athletes flourish has been an inspiration for us,” said Mike Tevlin. “We are motivated by the growth of tennis within Canada. It is satisfying to see first-hand that our pledge has made a significant difference in the lives of so many tennis hopefuls.”