TORONTO – Cisco and Rogers Sportsnet and will take fans courtside to see the world’s best tennis players at the 2011 Rogers Cup with cross-platform coverage on television, radio, online, mobile, print and even virtually through Cisco’s TelePresence systems.
For the first time in the history of Rogers Cup, both the men’s and women’s tournaments will be staged simultaneously. The women’s tournament will take place at the Rexall Centre in Toronto August 6-14, while the men will compete August 5-14 at Montreal’s Uniprix Stadium. Multiple Cisco TelePresence systems will connect both venues through high-definition video, allowing participants in both cities to interact with each other throughout the event.
"Beginning this summer, Rogers Cup will be ‘virtually combined,’ and we’re thrilled to be using Cisco TelePresence to enable fans, journalists and players to interact across both venues as if they were all in the same room. It’s a terrific way to enhance the fan experience by providing virtual access to the players themselves,” says Michael S. Downey, president and CEO, Tennis Canada.
Rogers Sportsnet will broadcast live coverage from Monday, Aug. 8 to Friday, Aug. 12 on Sportsnet ONE, East, Ontario, West and Pacific channels, offering viewers a choice of matches during the daily 12-hour coverage. Coverage begins each day at 11 a.m. ET, with simultaneous coverage of the men’s matches (from Montreal) and women’s matches (from Toronto). Sportsnet’s coverage includes the first three rounds and the quarter-finals.
The men’s draw at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal will be called by Rob Faulds at centre court with analysis from Jimmy Arias, a former number 5-ranked singles player on the ATP World Tour. In Toronto, Gerry Dobson will call the action from the Stadium Court at Rexall Centre with analysis from Tracy Austin, the two-time U.S. Open singles champion and Wimbledon mixed doubles champion. Brad Fay and former Canadian Davis Cup player Robert Bettauer will be in Montreal to host both draws, and will be joined by Damien Cox as the Tennis Insider.
