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216,097 spectators were on site throughout the tournament at Uniprix Stadium

As the tournament comes to a close, Tennis Canada announced a world record for attendance at a one-week tournament. In fact, a total of 216,097 fans were on-site throughout the tournament to attend matches between the best players in the world at Rogers Cup presented by National Bank.

“There was a tennis craze in our city in the last few weeks and it shows in our attendance numbers,” stated Eugène Lapierre, Tournament Director of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. “There were compelling storylines throughout the tournament and the Montreal crowd once again demonstrated their love of tennis. It has been a while since we experienced such excitement for our sport.”

The previous record was set here in Montreal in 2011, with a total attendance of 213,760 spectators.

From the moment Roger Federer announced that he would be returning to Montréal for the first time since 2011, we all knew that the 2017 Rogers Cup would be special.

Then, an 18-year-old Canadian with a wildcard erased four match points in his first outing and went on to defeat two of his idols and play in the semifinals. Denis Shapovalov was supposed to use the tournament to gain some experience but ended up making Rogers Cup history.

A total success, according to tournament director Eugène Lapierre.

“I often say that when you organize a tournament, there are two things you can’t control: the players and their results and the weather,” affirmed Lapierre just a few hours before the singles final. “You just never know. But from that perspective, everything went well. There was a really good battle between young players and veterans like Nadal and Federer. On one hand, experience prevailed. And on the other, there’s a young player in the final who has a brilliant career ahead of him. It’s a great story.”

The Federer effect, the incredible performances by Denis Shapovalov and great ticket sales leading into the tournament helped Rogers Cup surpass is 2011 attendance record by nearly 3 000 tickets. Indeed, the tournament’s new record is 216 097 people—the highest of any one-week tennis tournament.

“In 2011, there wasn’t a single drop of rain and we had the Top 8 in the quarterfinals,” Lapierre remembers. “Greg Sharko (director of media relations for the ATP Tour), who knows all the tennis stats like the back of his hand, said that had never happened before. I thought he meant that season. But it had never happened ever, anywhere. And it hasn’t happened since.”

Eugène Lapierre knows that the tournament was an exceptional one: “The week was almost perfect. We never thought we’d beat our record because, given the number of seats on Centre Court, we couldn’t reach 280 000 tickets. But to surpass the 2011 record by thousands of tickets is symbolic. It means that 2017 is our new standard.”

The tournament director is also happy to see the place that tennis has carved for itself in Montréal over time. He remembers the early days, in the 1980s, when about 98% of those in attendance were players.

“The image has completed changed,” he said. “Tennis has become a show and the tournament is much more than just a tennis tournament. It’s become an event. We elevated our tournament to a level as high as a Céline Dion show or a Montréal Canadiens match.”

More and more, people understand that there is a greater goal: “We do it because we want to develop the sport,” affirmed Lapierre. “We want as many kids as possible to pick up a racquet and get onto a tennis court to adopt a sport they will play for their entire lives. You can start at 5 years old and still play at 85. I like that feeling. And the others at Tennis Canada can attest to that. We like having the National Training Centre right here. We like having lunch with Félix [Auger-Aliassime] because we know he’s what we work for.”

And while Zverev’s win in the final marks the official end of this year’s event, Eugène Lapierre knows that Tennis Canada’s work is just beginning: “I often say that the tournament is great but it’s not an end in itself. It’s a means. Our work begins on Monday morning after the tournament. We want to further develop the sport, continue to create programs and promote tennis.”

We look into storylines that emerged from the sixth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of 2017

1. IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER
Is there something in the Montreal water? In three matches this week at the Coupe Rogers, a player saved not one, not two and not three but four match points.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov and Diego Schwartzman of Argentina started the match point madness on Tuesday. The #NextGenATP Shapovalov erased four match points to escape Brazilian veteran Rogerio Dutra Silva 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-4.
Schwartzman saved his tournament four times in an upset bid against third-seeded Dominic Thiem, winning 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-5. Frenchman Gael Monfils' followed their lead in taking out another high seed – fifth seed Kei Nishikori – 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-6(6).
Not to be outdone, Alexander Zverev saved three match points in his opening match against Richard Gasquet, advancing 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3).
Read & Watch: Zverev Saves Match Point With 49-Shot Rally
2. WATCH OUT FOR SHAPOVALOV
Canada has unearthed a gem. Shapovalov's inspiring run to the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal – and his energetic brand of play – endeared him to millions of Canadian tennis fans and tennis enthusiasts around the globe.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Spotlight On Shapovalov: Canada's Rising Star
He also put the ATP World Tour on notice. The 18-year-old lefty knocked out established players all week, including Juan Martin del Potro, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal and Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last month.
Shapovalov, who set a goal of reaching the Top 150 at the start of the year, has shattered that mark. On Monday, he'll be No. 67 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and is in good position to make the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, to be held 7-11 November. By becoming the youngest Masters 1000 semi-finalist (since 1990), Shapovalov will rise to fourth place in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan, which will determine seven of the eight 21-and-under players who compete at the inaugural tournament.
3. KYRGIOS AT HIS BEST WHEN HE'S RELAXED
Australian Nick Kyrgios is box office. With an ability to beat the world’s best, his languid style and character are fan favourites as evidenced by his ‘horsey’ antics with Matt Reid and his offer of hitting with a Twitter fan in Montreal. Read More
The Aussie backed up his laid-back style with wins on the court this week as well. Kyrgios breezed past Serbia's Viktor Troicki and Paolo Lorenzi of Italy, dropping only eight games in the four sets. In the quarter-finals, Kyrgios fell 6-4, 6-3 to eventual champion Zverev.
4. THE FUTURE IS NOW
As if we needed any confirmation, the Coupe Rogers proved that Zverev, at 20, is already a dominant force in the game. He claimed a second consecutive Masters 1000 title (Rome), becoming the first player outside the “Big Four” to win multiple Masters 1000 crowns in the same season since David Nalbandian 10 years ago.
Zverev did it by beating the best – Roger Federer hadn't fallen in a final this season. Zverev has now won five ATP World Tour titles this year, tying Federer atop the leaderboard. The #NextGenATP German has also reeled off 10 consecutive victories, dating back to his title run last week at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.
5. FRENCHMEN MAKE HISTORY
What happens in Rome, happens in Montreal? It did this year. Zverev backed up his title, as did Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in doubles, beating Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 for their second Masters 1000 crown of the season.
The pair became the first French team in the Open Era to win a Canadian title and improved to 5-1 in Masters 1000 finals together. They also ended a finals drought: Herbert/Mahut hadn't played for a trophy since the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in the Italian capital.