Tennis has long been known as a heritage sport that still embodies the ethos the game had when it was first created over 140 years ago. Although the sport’s culture has changed slightly over the years, thanks to the new generation of tennis stars, you can still expect to see players wearing “all-white” at Wimbledon, complete silence during match play, and many other traditions. However, on the night of July 7th, National Bank wanted to change our outlook on tennis. Here’s a glimpse of the insanely eclectic evening they hosted at Montreal’s Uniprix Stadium:

To help celebrate the bank’s 10th year as the Rogers Cup title sponsor, ALT COURT (short for “Alternative Court”) was created and luckily myself and 11 other friends from Toronto flew in for the grand soireé. The event embodied contrasting elements one would never expect to find on the court – hence the party’s ‘apropos’ name.  It featured dope light installations, vintage-style games, the largest table tennis set up I think I’ve ever seen; for up to 10 players at a time, tunes spun by DJ Ryan Hemsworth, choreographed dance performances by Tentacle Tribe and much more. I even loved how the models were styled by Tinashe Musara in what looked like the futuristic version of the tournament’s ball girl uniform’s. It was the perfect evening to celebrate this decade long partnership and to help create some excitement for the upcoming men and women’s tournaments in Toronto and Montreal respectively, taking place July 23-31st.

Photography by Sarah Birkett and Karel Chladek for National Bank

For more information on Rogers Cup and to purchase tickets in advance online head to RogersCup.com