mark lidbetter

The suburban

Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime was named Tennis Canada’s Men’s Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year for the fifth consecutive season. Fellow Montrealer Gabriel Diallo was tapped as the Men’s Most Improved Player of the Year for a third consecutive season.

Auger-Aliassime started his 2025 campaign on a high, winning ATP 250 titles in Adelaide, Australia and Montpellier, France. He continued his impressive run in the summer when he reached the quarter-final round of the Cincinnati Open before advancing to his second US Open semi-final.

In the fall, thanks to a quarter-final finish at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, a runner-up trophy at the Paris Rolex Masters, and a title at the ATP 250 in Brussels, Belgium, Auger-Aliassime qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. He reached the final four of the year-end tournament and climbed into the Top Five in singles. That saw Auger-Aliassime become only the second Canadian man to go Top Five, joining Milos Raonic by accomplishing that. Auger-Aliassime also became the first Canadian to record multiple 50-win seasons.

Diallo continues to progress on the professional tour, and this season won his first ATP Tour-level title at the Libema Open (ATP 250). That marked the first time a Canadian man won a singles title on grass since Pointe Claire’s Greg Rusedski in 1993. Diallo also advanced to his first ATP 1000 semi-final at the Mutua Madrid Open, defeating then- world No. 15 Grigor Dimitrov along the way, and reached a career high ranking of No. 33 in August.

“What a season this has been for Canadian tennis,” Gavin Ziv, Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Canada, said. “One that will undoubtedly be remembered for many years to come. Felix, who has enjoyed exceptional seasons year after year, has managed to surpass himself in 2025 by breaking into the world’s Top Five, becoming only the second Canadian to achieve this feat in singles. It has been a pleasure to watch these young players reach new heights, and their impact on the growth of tennis in Canada cannot be overstated.” n