Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez win Tennis Canada Player of the Year awards
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez have been awarded the Tennis Canada Player of the Year awards and Singles Player of the Year awards in the men's and women's categories, respectively.
Both young guns had a great 2022 campaign, winning five singles titles between them, with Auger-Aliassime finishing the year in the top six.
The 22-year-old was on a roll towards the end of the year, winning 20 of his last 23 matches, culminating in Canada's first Davis Cup win. Meanwhile, Fernandez won the Monterrey title in 2022 to finish in the top 40 of the WTA singles rankings.
President and CEO of Tennis Canada Michael Downey spoke about Auger-Aliassime:
"Having led Team Canada to its first-ever Davis Cup title and with four ATP singles titles to his name, Felix is a well-deserving recipient in the men’s category."
Commending Fernandez, Downey said:
"On the women’s side, Leylah has continued to showcase her skills and prove that she is one of the top talents on the WTA Tour."
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernandez named Tennis Canada’s Players of the Year theglobeandmail.com/sports/tennis/… https://t.co/BgvAkqrcoO
Auger-Aliassime won all three of his matches in the Davis Cup as Canada beat Australia in the Malaga final to win the competition for the first time.
How did Felix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Fernadez fare in 2022?
Felix Auger-Aliassime enjoyed a fabulous 2022 campaign. After winning the ATP Cup with Canada at the start of the year, the 22-year-old reached the Australian Open quarterfinals (lost to Daniil Medvedev) before beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rotterdam to win his first singles title.
Although he lost to Andrey Rublev in the Marseille final the following week, Auger-Aliassime recovered from early exits in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo to mark four straight quarterfinals. At the French Open, he took two sets off eventual champion Rafael Nadal before bowing out during the fourth round.
After making the last eight in Montreal and Cincinnati, he lost in the second round at the US Open before sparking into life at the end of the season. Buoyed by his win over Novak Djokovic in the Laver Cup, Auger-Aliassime embarked on an impressive 16-match win streak, winning titles in Florence, Antwerp and Basel before making the Paris semis.
th consecutive win!1⃣3⃣th consecutive win!
@felixtennis | #SwissIndoorsBasel https://t.co/6nWhFEyaWB
Although he lost in the group stage in his first ATP Finals appearance, Auger-Aliassime ended the year with a Davis Cup win for his nation, going 60-27 in 2022.
Meanwhile, Fernandez had a more modest 21-15 season, successfully defending her title in Monterrey and making the Roland Garros quarterfinals (lost to Martina Trevisan).