One of the biggest tennis tournaments on the continent is going back to the beginning. The Leith Wheeler Stanley Park Open is dropping the professional side of competition introduced last year to concentrate on the amateur singles and doubles matches that have drawn thousands since 1931.
“We’re really taking it back to its roots as the type of tournament people remember, and I remember from growing up,” said tournament director Khristina Blajkevitch, a past winner and professional player who was ranked 797th in the world on the WTA singles tour.
“The focus this year is what can we offer to the player right here in our backyard.”
The tournament started Friday and marked the return of various seniors’ categories as well as the continuation of the signature National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) competition which allows amateurs to rank themselves and compete against others in categories from 2.0 to 4.5. The open competition draws the most competitive singles and doubles players of all ages.
The last day of competition is July 19.
The ITF junior competition remains an integral component of the Stanley Park Open.
Hosted by Tennis B.C. and promoted as North America’s largest public-court competitions, the Stanley Park Open also increased its prize money this year. The $15,000 purse will be divided with the max prize of $2,000 going to the top singles male player. The women’s top prize is $1,500, a lower amount because of the smaller draw and fewer people paying an entry fee.
“I would love to make them the same however the draw sizes, you can’t compare them,” said Blajkevitch. The men’s draw is at least double the size of the women’s, she said.
To highlight some of the best players in the tournament, the Stanley Park Open has introduced the Millstreet Brewery Happy Hour Match of the Day, which begins daily at 6 p.m.
Blajkevitch, who trained with the national team and competed in the NCAA, emphasized tennis is a sport for anyone and the Stanley Park Open a tournament for everyone.
She expressed admiration for competitors like Cora Wills, the defending women’s 4.5 singles champion, who takes every opportunity to learn from coaches and improve her game.
“I was a pro player up until last year, I know what it takes,” said Blajkevitch, also the director of player development at Tennis B.C. “For someone who starts later on in life, they don’t need to put themselves through that but they choose it. It inspires me to go hard at whatever I’m doing today.”
Wills started playing tennis casually with her husband but has since competed for Canada at the World Senior Team Championships nine times. Most recently, competing in France, she and her partner Michelle Karis, from Halifax, won the bronze medal in the women’s 55 doubles.
“Certainly for me, at my age, I’m not going to Wimbledon, but I do love the challenge of the physical, the mental and the emotional,” said Wills, 57, who approaches the Stanley Park Open as a training event to sharpen her skills for the national seniors championship, held later in the summer.
At the seniors provincials last month at the Jericho Tennis Club, Blajkevitch stopped Wills after a match to give her some pointers. The retired teacher who lives in Shaughnessey took note of what the retired pro had to say.
“That what I appreciate about a player like Cora,” said Blajkevitch. “They’re always looking to improve, no matter what. We had had a previous conversation and she wanted to play more aggressive, and that’s my game style. I had noticed something about her moving forward, about her needing step to into the ball.”
Wills worked to put the advice into play because, she said, good coaching is the thing that sets the best players apart from the rest.
“For me, coming late to the game, the reason that I’ve had some success is because I’ve had great coaches,” said Wills, who is a member at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club. “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it’s all about the coaching. You’ve got to work hard and you have to put in the time and effort, but the coaching makes a tremendous difference.”
Wills, who won the women’s national senior championship in 2012 in the 50-54 age group and won the doubles title the next year with partner Brenda Cameron, wants one thing at the Stanley Park Open: “To win it,” she said.
Catch the tennis in Stanley Park every day until July 19.
Schedule: Stanley Park Open
The Leith Wheeler Stanley Park Open continues through July 19.
The U18 ITF matches run daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. while the junior development series matches begin each day at 8 a.m. and continue until dusk. The National Junior Open runs daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The National Tennis Rating Program (NTPR, which is for amateur players ranked 2.0 to 4.5) runs on weekends from 8 a.m. to dusk and on weekdays from 5 p.m. to dusk. Some exceptions apply. The Mill Street Brewery Happy Hour Match of the Day features the best players and begins daily at 6 p.m. on the public courts at Stanley Park.
Seniors matches run on weekends from 8 a.m. to dusk and on weekdays from 5 p.m. until dusk, with some weekday matches scheduled for the day.
The Rogers Rookie Tour is a one-day event on July 17, running from 8 a.m. until dusk.
