History
This event has a long and illustrious history. The men's tournament began in 1881, and was held at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, while the women's competition was first held in 1892. Of the major tennis tournaments in the world today, only Wimbledon and the US Open have been around as long.
Between 1970 and 1989 it was a major event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour as part of the Grand Prix Championship Series. The tournament was sponsored for a number of years by tobacco brands. In the 1970s, Rothmans International was the chief sponsor, followed by Player's Limited in the 1980s, and then Du Maurier from 1997–2000. Federal legislation, however, then came into effect that banned tobacco advertising. Rogers took over as the new presenting sponsor.
Read more about this topic: Canadian Open (tennis)
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“The history of the world is the record of the weakness, frailty and death of public opinion.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)