7 most successful Canadian tennis players of all time ft. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Bianca Andreescu
Canadian tennis entered the competitive fray with the birth of the Canadian Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) in 1890. Tennis Canada was invited to be one of the founding members of the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) in 1913. However, they declined the offer and the repercussions hit them during both World Wars.
Canadian players were restricted to playing tennis in their own country, and political reasons forbid them from competing in countries that formed the Central Powers. CLTA joined the ILTF in the late 1920s.
Ever since the beginning of the Open Era, Canadian tennis players have made their presence felt in the highest tiers of the sport. Tennis Canada, the country's national governing body of tennis, now governs a Masters event for both ATP & WTA (National Bank Open), six ATP Challenger events, eight junior national championships, and several ITF-sanctioned events for both juniors and seniors.
It also organizes Canadian teams for their participation in team events like the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Paralympics and Olympics. As of August 2022, Canada is placed at No. 6 in the world rankings in both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. In both the events, their best performances have been reaching the semis.
In the Majors, Canadian players have won one women's singles title, 10 men's doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles. Let's take a look at the top seven tennis players that Canada has produced till date.
#7. Eugenie Bouchard
The 2014 WTA season was a breakthrough season for Eugenie Bouchard. A junior Wimbledon champion, Bouchard made the semis at the Australian Open and the French Open, where she lost to the eventual champions in both instances. At Wimbledon, she yet again made the semis, becoming the first player since Dinara Safina in 2009 to make the semis of the first three Slams of the season. She took it a step further at Wimbledon by becoming the first Canadian to make the finals of a Major. However, she managed to win only three games in her final against Petra Kvitova.
A runner-up finish in Wuhan saw Bouchard reach a career-high of World No. 5 in October of that season. Ever since, Bouchard has barely made a significant impact on the tour. The Canadian has a 43% win-rate in the WTA 1000 events and a career win-rate of 57.6% in singles. She last made the main draw of a Slam at the 2020 French Open and has not made it past the fourth round of a Slam since 2016.
#6. Carling Bassett-Seguso
Carling Bassett-Seguso was the World No. 2 junior player in 1982. Over the next three years, she made the quarterfinals of every Slam except Wimbledon, where she twice reached the fourth round. Bassett-Seguso's best showing at a Major came in 1984, when she made the US Open semis, losing to second seed Chris Evert.
A few months later, she saw herself ranked within the Top 10. She reached a career-high of No. 8 and remained the only Canadian woman to crack the Top 10 singles rankings for the next 28 years. She has also won two tour-level doubles titles and made the quarterfinals in doubles twice and once in mixed doubles at the Majors.
#5. Felix Auger-Aliassime
As of 24th August 2022, Felix Auger-Aliassime has been placed at a career-high of No. 8 in the world. He has reached eight career singles finals, winning one title at the 2022 Rotterdam Open. He has reached the quarterfinals or better of every Slam except Roland Garros, where his best showing was entering the fourth round in 2022.
He has made the quarterfinals in Masters events in five of his last nine appearances. The Canadian's best performance at ATP 1000 events came in Miami in 2019, where he made the semis.
#4. Gabriela Dabrowski
In 2017, Gabriela Dabrowski made history when she became the first ever Canadian to win a Slam title. Partnering Rohan Bopanna, she won the claycourt Slam. An exclusive doubles player, Dabrowski garnered more success when she lifted the 2018 Australian Open mixed doubles title partnering Mate Pavic. In doubles, Dabrowski has made ten finals at the WTA 1000 level, winning four of them.
She was the fourth Canadian player to make the top 10 rankings in singles or doubles. In the women's doubles, she finished as a runner-up at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships partnering Xu Yifan. She has also made the quarterfinals or better in the remaining three Slams. She is currently ranked No.4 in the world in doubles.
#3. Bianca Andreescu
Bianca Andreescu's current ranking of No. 51 should not be misdirected. In 2019, she became the first Canadian to win a singles Slam title. She has won two of the three WTA 1000 finals she has reached, but has struggled with injuries throughout her career.
The former World No. 4 is currently nursing a back injury. Despite that, after playing over 200 matches as a professional, Andreescu boasts a win-rate of over 70% in singles. She has won 10 out of the 17 matches she played against Top 10 players and has defeated five No.1 players, which includes a combined nine wins against them.
#2. Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic has been Canada's most successful singles player on the ATP tour. He is the highest-ranked Canadian player in tennis, which he achieved in 2016 by reaching the World No. 3 spot. To date, he has won eight singles tour-level titles, four of which came at the Masters 1000 level.
The 2016 Wimbledon runner-up is one of the best servers on tour and has often been compared to John Isner and Ivo Karlovic. In 10 instances, he has made the quarterfinals or better at a Slam. He has not played a single match since July 2021 and is on the sidelines due to injuries.
#1. Daniel Nestor
Daniel Nestor has established himself as a doubles legend in tennis. A winner of 91 ATP doubles-level titles, Nestor has won eight men's doubles, four year-ending championships in doubles and three mixed doubles titles in Majors. A winner of the 2000 Olympic doubles gold medal, he completed the Career Golden Slam in doubles when he won the 2008 Wimbledon Championships.
In mixed doubles, he thrice won the Australian Open and the Wimbledon title once. He thrice missed out on completing a Career Slam in mixed doubles, finishing as the runner-up at the French Open twice and once at the US Open. The former doubles No.1 player was the first in ATP history to win 1000 career matches. He called it a day in 2018, putting curtains on a 27-year illustrious career.
Special mentions
Leylah-Annie Fernandez is a promising player on the rise. She finished as the runner-up in the singles of the 2021 US Open and made the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open. The 19-year-old is currently placed in the top 15 of the WTA rankings.
23-year-old Denis Shapovalov, who has been a top 10 player and has made the quarterfinals or better of every Slam except the French Open, is also one to watch out for in the future.