Toronto was the initial host of the Canadian Open, which was first held in July 1881. This means it's the second-oldest active tennis tournament, only behind the Wimbledon Championships.
The tournament was initially played on clay courts until 1979 when it switched to hard courts. Before 1968, the event was known as the Canadian National Championships, and it later became a stable part of the top-tier ATP and WTA calendars.
Until 1981, both men's and women's tournaments of the Canadian Open were held in Toronto's National Tennis Centre, when the tournament first started altering between Montreal and Toronto as the tournament hosts for men's and women's events. As a result, the first men's tournament was held in Montreal in 1981, and women followed the year after in 1982.
Since then, fans in Toronto could see men and women altering every year at the event which went through many names over the years, such as the Canada Masters, the Rogers Cup, and the National Bank Open.
With the tournament altering between the two cities every year, it makes it even harder to win a tournament in a specific city. For example, Roger Federer won the Canadian Open twice, in 2004 and 2006, each time in Toronto, but never in Montreal.
Another multi-time winner, who triumphed only in Toronto is Serena Williams. The legendary American won the Canadian Open three times, in 2001, 2011, and 2013, and every time her triumph came in Toronto. The same applies to Justine Henin, who won the tournament in Toronto in 2003 and 207.
