The Canadian Open tournament director has confirmed ticket sales have skyrocketed since Serena Williams and Venus Williams confirmed their involvement.
The iconic sisters were away from the sport for nearly a year. Their presence on the WTA Tour was certainly missed during that period despite many superb players existing at the top of women's tennis.
Serena returned to the singles court at Wimbledon after getting injured at the same tournament last year. She had appeared for the first time since the 2021 Wimbledon Championships at the Eastbourne International, playing doubles with Ons Jabeur.
Venus' first singles appearance since August 2021 was last week's Citi Open, losing to Rebecca Marino in three sets. The 42-year-old played mixed doubles with Jamie Murray at Wimbledon a few weeks earlier.
However, the Canadian Open is the first time since last year's Wimbledon that both sisters will appear at the same tournament, which has raised excitement levels for the event in Toronto.
The Canadian tournament director, Karl Hale, confirmed the effect of having Serena and Venus in Toronto. He revealed that ticket sales have drastically increased and said he had a close relationship with the pair.
“The two of them have a really special place with me and I have a very close relationship with them. They’ve done so much for this sport and we want to give them a great (possibly) last experience in Toronto. The fans have reacted just incredibly since we announced that they’re playing, and ticket sales have gone through the roof. It’s just tremendous for us to have them here in Toronto.”
It is unclear whether this will be the last time Serena and Venus compete in Toronto. However, the tournament alternates between Toronto and Montreal each year, meaning both sisters would need to play for at least two more years to feature in Toronto again.