Tennis Canada is set to offer an exciting opportunity as it prepares to award a singles main-draw wild card entry to the top-performing Canadian male and female players accumulating points from national events in the lead-up to the National Bank Open in Montreal and Toronto.
The much-anticipated 2025 National Bank Open will take place from July 26 to August 7, with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) landing in Montreal and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) heading to Toronto.
The thrilling “Road to the NBO” has already commenced, with professional tennis tournaments in Canada contributing to rankings following the 2024 National Bank Open.
Leading the charge for the Montreal wild card is Kayla Cross from London, Ontario, who has amassed 120 points, while Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, is currently at the forefront of the men’s standings with 72 points.
“This fresh competition is bound to generate excitement as we approach the 2025 National Bank Open, and we are eager to see how it unfolds on the court,” remarked Valérie Tétreault, tournament director of Montreal’s NBO, in a recent statement.
“We believe this initiative is a fantastic way to enhance our Canadian events, inspiring engaging and heartwarming narratives as we gear up for our signature tournament of the year.”
“For the players themselves, the Road to the NBO presents a unique stage to flaunt their talent on home turf, ensuring every competitor has a fair shot at securing a position in our prestigious main draw.”
The ranking system in place to determine the leaders is based on the ATP and WTA points accrued by each player in designated events. Notably, events scheduled in July will award double points, making them crucial for standings. Should a tie occur, the player with the higher ranking after the update on July 21, 2025, will be granted the wild card.
If the top-ranked player by the conclusion of the event is unable to participate in the NBO or has secured a direct entry, the wild card will be passed to the next player with the highest point total, according to Tennis Canada.
Additionally, the second-ranked player in the men’s Road to the NBO standings will receive a wild card to enter the NBO qualifiers.
On the women’s side, Tennis Canada has revealed plans to hold a pre-qualifying tournament to award two additional wild cards for the NBO — one for the main draw and one for the qualifying rounds.
“The National Bank Open is embracing a new chapter, highlighted by its expanded 12-day format and a 96-player main draw, allowing us to explore innovative and diverse ways of distributing our wild cards,” explained Guillaume Marx, Tennis Canada’s vice-president of high-performance, in the statement.
“With eight main-draw wild cards for the WTA event and five for the ATP, we are thrilled to introduce the Road to the NBO — a concept we’ve been considering for years. We have continuously stated how vital our Canadian professional events are for the advancement of the sport and the professional pipeline in our nation. This competition further confirms that sentiment, as players will now have enhanced motivation to compete at home. We eagerly anticipate the unfolding of this summer’s events.”
For the women’s points race, the last remaining tournaments include W15 Trois-Rivières and W15 Montreal in March, along with the Granby National Bank Championships in July.
In the men’s brackets, remaining tournaments include M15 Sherbrooke and M15 Montreal in March, M25 Laval in June, along with the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger and the Granby National Bank Championships in July.
