2023 IN REVIEW: ANOTHER OUTSTANDING YEAR FOR CANADIAN TENNIS

• Canada makes history by raising its first Billie Jean King Cup trophy
• Gabriela Dabrowski becomes the 1^st Canadian to win a Grand Slam women’s doubles title with partner Erin Routliffe
• Nine Canadians crowned champions on home soil
• Gender equity takes centre stage

Now that the season has concluded, Tennis Canada is pleased to share its traditional year-end review to highlight the success Canadian players achieved over the past 12 months, as well as share the accomplishments and progress of the organization’s initiatives.

SUCCESS ON THE COURTS

Canadian tennis players once again demonstrated why Canada has its place among the world’s leading tennis nations. Over the course of the season, they brought home titles and celebrated individual achievements. Here are some of the highlights:

• Team Canada triumphs at the Billie Jean King Cup: After winning its first Davis Cup title in 2022, Canada claimed the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in the nation’s history. Representing Team Canada presented by Sobeys, Leylah Fernandez (Laval, QC), Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC), Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON), Eugenie Bouchard (Montréal, QC) and Marina Stakusic (Mississauga, ON) defeated Spain, Poland, Czechia and Italy in the Finals to make Canada the 13th country to win the prestigious competition since its inception. With the win in Seville, Spain, the squad, led by captain Heidi El Tabakh, wrote yet another page in our history as Canada rose to No.1 in the Billie Jean King Cup rankings for the first time and automatically qualified for the 2024 Finals, which will also be held in Seville.

• Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe crowned US Open women’s doubles champion: At the US Open, Dabrowski of Ottawa, Ontario, and Erin Routliffe made history as they claimed Canada’s first Grand Slam women’s doubles title. In the final, the duo overpowered Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva (7-6(9), 6-3). Their victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium, a follow-up title in Zhengzhou and several excellent performances, including an appearance in the final in Guadalajara, paved the pair’s way to the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, where Dthey reached the semifinals.

• 39 titles on the pro tours: Just as they did in 2022, Canada’s pros had success around the world, collectively earning 20 singles and 19 doubles titles. Among the winners were Félix Auger-Aliassime (Montréal, QC), who defended his crown in Basel to collect his sixth ATP title, and Leylah Fernandez, who added a third winner’s trophy to her record in Hong Kong.

• Nine Canadians triumph on home soil: The tournaments held in Canada are unique opportunities for our players to earn valuable ranking points, and they certainly made the most of this year’s events. Nine Canadians became singles or doubles champions at home—an extraordinary record in Canadian history. In the women’s game, Katherine Sebov (Toronto, ON) won the Saguenay National Bank Challenger for the second time after securing her first win in 2018 and reaching the final in 2022. Rising stars Victoria Mboko (17) and Marina Stakusic (19) continued to impress with victories at the Saskatoon Challenger and Tevlin Challenger, respectively. In men’s tennis, Alexis Galarneau (QC) and Liam Draxl (ON) won their first ATP National Bank Challenger titles in Granby and Calgary, respectively.

• Davis Cup Finals – A 3rd appearance for Canada in the Final 8: After winning its first world championship title last year, Team Canada presented by Sobeys automatically qualified for the Group Stage of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals. Team Canada once again triumphed at this stage, reaching the Final 8 of the team competition for the second year in a row and the third time in its history. The team eventually lost to Finland 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
  
• The new crop of tennis aces forges ahead: This past season, several Canadians made significant moves up the rankings by leaps and bounds. Gabriel Diallo (+88) and Liam Draxl (+292) are currently ranked No.139 and No.292, respectively, while Katherine Sebov advanced to No.143 (+79), Stacey Fung climbed to No.257 (+101), Marina Stakusic rose to No.258 (+124) and Victoria Mboko ascended to No.323 (+176).

• Canadian wheelchair tennis continues to excel: Eight Canadian players finished the season in the Top 100 of the ITF UNIQLO singles rankings:
  • Quad: Rob Shaw (No.9), Mitch McIntyre (No.36), Hisham Mohammad (No.78) and Gary Luker (No.81)
  • Women’s: Natalia Lanucha (No.42) and Anne-Marie Dolinar (No.51)
  • Men’s: Thomas Venos (No.58) and Barry Henderson (No.91)

Rob Shaw, who won silver at the Parapan American Games, is the first Canadian to qualify for the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters in singles and doubles for the second straight season. In 2022, he was the first Canadian to be invited to the prestigious tournament since Sarah Hunter in 2004.

Click here for more on the performances of our Canadian players in 2023.

SUCCESS OUTSIDE THE COURTS

In addition to the exceptional performances by Canadian players, major milestones were reached off the courts as Tennis Canada continued to make progress across the country.

1. A pathway to equal pay at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers: In June, Tennis Canada and National Bank proudly announced that the National Bank Open presented by Rogers would offer equal prize money to WTA and ATP players starting in 2027. To achieve parity, there will be an increase in the amounts paid to WTA competitors over the next few years. By 2027, the total prize money for the women’s event will be at least $10M—an increase of 350% over four years.

• Canada wins the ITF Gold Advantage All award: In October, the efforts invested by Tennis Canada and National Bank to promote gender equity in Canadian tennis were acknowledged on the international stage with the ITF Gold award—the highest honour of the ITF’s Advantage All Reward and Recognition program. Canada stood out for its many recent initiatives to create lasting change for women and girls in all spheres of the sport, including the launch of the Game. Set. Equity. commitment, better gender representation within Tennis Canada’s management structure (now equal) and the appointment of the first woman to lead the National Bank Open presented by Rogers (Valerie Tetreault, Tournament Director).

• Enhanced facilities in several provinces: In collaboration with Rogers and National Bank, Tennis Canada accelerated its efforts to increase accessibility to the sport via its facilities programs.
  
  • Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers: In October, Tennis Canada and Rogers inaugurated new public indoor courts in Waterloo (QC) and Edmonton (AB). The goal of the program is to build 160 new indoor courts in 30 facilities by 2029. The courts in Waterloo and Edmonton bring the total of newly covered tennis courts to 26 in five municipalities in three provinces, all in just the program’s second year.
    
  • National Bank Play Your Court program: In June, Tennis Canada and National Bank announced that Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, and White Oaks Park in London, Ontario, would receive funding to revitalize their outdoor facilities. Launched in 2022, the initiative aims to upgrade more than 100 courts across the country by 2030. To date, 12 courts have been revamped under the program. Starting in 2024, four municipalities will be granted funding every year.

• The National Bank Open presented by Rogers shatters attendance records: The National Bank Open events in Montréal and Toronto—the driving revenue force behind Canadian tennis development—continue to attract more fans. In 2023, the tournament in Montréal broke its attendance record for a WTA competition set in 2014 (181,996 fans) when it welcomed more than 219,667 ticket holders. In Toronto, the National Bank Open recorded its highest total for a men’s tournament with more than 175,000 spectators.