Top Canadian Tennis Players Of All Time
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Canada is a country with plenty of successful athletes across multiple sports, and even though tennis might not be the number-one sport, the country has produced some exceptional talents over the years.
There is no doubt that ice hockey is the most popular sport in Canada. With legends of the games, such as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe, and more recently Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, the sport has a great tradition in the country.
However, Canada produced talented athletes also in sports different than ice hockey. Nancy Greene Raine dominated in alpine skiing, Donovan Bailey was unstoppable in the 100 m sprint at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and Steve Nash is undoubtedly an NBA legend.
In tennis, Canada has yet to produce a talent that would rise to the Hall of Fame status, but plenty of players certainly made a case for themselves during their careers.
Canada already has a Grand Slam champion, and there is no doubt that with recent progression, there might be plenty more, as certain players certainly inspired the upcoming generation.
With casinos.com bonus offers in Canada, we will look at some of the very best Canadian tennis players of all time.
1. Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic is certainly one of the best tennis players ever to represent Canada. Although he was born in Podgorica in Montenegro in 1990, his family moved to Canada in 1994, which is why he has represented the country.
His undoubtedly biggest success came at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, when he reached his maiden Grand Slam final, losing to Andy Murray in three close sets.
He then climbed up to third place in the ATP Rankings, which, at the height of the Big Four, was an incredible achievement.
In his career, Raonic has played in three ATP Masters 1000 finals, but unfortunately for him, he always faced either Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic and was on the receiving end of a painful defeat.
He lost to Nadal in the 2013 Canadian Open final, 2-6, 2-6. He was then bested by Djokovic in the following three Masters finals. First at the 2014 Paris Masters, 2-6, 3-6, then at the 2016 Indian Wells Open, 2-6, 0-6, before losing also in the 2020 Cincinnati Masters final 6-1, 3-6, 4-6.
Despite these losses, Raonic certainly cemented his spot as one of the best tennis players in the history of Canadian tennis, if not the best.
2. Bianca Andreescu
Raonic could never win a Grand Slam title in his tennis career, but Bianca Andreescu, and that certainly secured her a legendary status in the Hall of Fame of Canadian tennis. At the 2019 US Open, she became the first Canadian player to win a singles Grand Slam title.
Like Raonic, she has roots in Eastern Europe, in her case, in Romania. In the same year as Raonic's parents, in 1994, her parents moved to Canada, where Andreescu was born.
Her win at the US Open is the biggest success of her tennis career, and so is her subsequent climb up to the World No. 4 position in the WTA Rankings.
3. Eugenie Bouchard
The year 1994 seems to be very significant in the history of Canadian tennis because while it was the year when Raonic's and Andreescu's parents moved to Canada, it was also the year when Eugenie Bouchard was born.
Prior to Andreescu's rise, it was Bouchard who was considered to be the most talented tennis player to come out of the country. She played in the 2014 Australian Open semi-final and reached the same stage at the French Open that year.
However, her biggest success was certainly playing in the 2014 Wimbledon Championships final, which she lost to Petra Kvitova. Still, Bouchard rose to the World No. 5 position as a result of her successful 2014 season.
In recent years, however, she couldn't reproduce her success, and in 2024, she shockingly committed to playing pickleball professionally. Regardless, Bouchard is still one of the most talented Canadian tennis players of all time.
4. Daniel Nestor
Canada also enjoyed plenty of success on the doubles court. In particular, Daniel Nestor put the country on the map when it came to doubles tennis. Like Raonic and Andreescu, his roots come from outside of Canada, and once again, the year 1994 played a role in his tennis career.
Nestor, whose native name was Danijel Nestorovic, was born in Belgrade, Serbia, in 1972. However, he represented Canada throughout his tennis career, and in 1994, he won his first doubles title alongside Mark Knowles.
In the following years, Nestor enjoyed plenty of success, winning the 2002 Australian Open, before adding 11 more Grand Slam titles, seven more in men's doubles and four in mixed.
Nestor is a four-time French Open men's doubles champion (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012), a two-time Wimbledon men's doubles winner (2008, 2009) and a one-time mixed doubles champion (2013). He also won the men's doubles at the 2004 US Open and lifted three mixed doubles trophies at the Australian Open (2007, 2011, 2014).
Naturally, Nestor reached the World No. 1 rank in doubles in his tennis career, and in the Open Era, he ranks third among ATP Tour title winners, only behind the legendary Bryan Brothers, Mike and Bob.
