It has been 65 years since a Canadian man lifted the trophy in Toronto. But the prospect of a home champion has been getting better over the last few years.
When the ATP Tour lands in the Ontario capital in August, at least six men from the host nation will have their eyes on the prize.
Let’s meet the men looking to break Canada’s title drought at the National Bank Open.
Félix Auger-Aliassime
- Age: 22
- Current Ranking: 12
- Career-High: 6
- NBO Appearance: 5th
- Best NBO Result: QF (2022)
- Most Recent NBO Result: QF (2022)
- 2023 Record: 13-11
- Career NBO Record: 5-4
Felix Auger-Aliassime returns home for the first time since his dominant finish to 2022 that saw him win three titles in three consecutive weeks and carry his country to its first Davis Cup title.
While 2023 has not gone fully according to plan for the Canadian No. 1, including injuries that have limited his play to just two matches over the last two months, a trip back to Canada for the four-time ATP Tour titlist may be just what the doctor ordered.
The competitiveness for Auger-Aliassime does not end when he leaves the court. He is an avid Scrabble player, a hobby he picked up during the pandemic.
Read also: Meet the ATP Top 10
Milos Raonic
- Age: 32
- Current Ranking
- Career-High: 3
- NBO Appearance: 11th
- Best NBO Result: Runner-up (2013)
- Most Recent NBO Result: R2 (2019)
- 2023 Record: 2-2
- Career NBO Record: 12-10
The Missile from Thornhill, ON is back and will be competing in his hometown for the first time since 2018. Raonic recently returned to the ATP Tour during the grass season and has picked up at least one win in each event he has entered so far.
Injuries kept the world No. 3 sidelined for the better part of two years but he made a return last month in s-Hertogenbosch and, with his potent serve (officially the third fastest of all-time), has shown flashes of the player who has won eight career titles on the ATP Tour. He is the most recent Canadian man to reach the singles final at the National Bank Open.
Raonic is a big art lover and visits art galleries regularly, including with his former coach/art collector John McEnroe.
Read also: Canadian trio receive main draw wild cards at the 2023 National Bank Open in Toronto
Gabriel Diallo
- Age: 21
- Current Ranking: 143
- Career-High: 139
- NBO Appearance: Debut
- 2023 Record: 0-2
The youngest member of the Canadian contingent, Diallo will be competing in his first Masters 1000 main draw this year in Toronto.
Diallo has a solid record on home soil, winning a surprise first career ATP Challenger Tour title last summer in Granby. He made his debut at the top level of the game last year in the Group Stage of the Davis Cup Finals against Serbia and was a member of the team that brought home the title in November.
At 6’7”, Diallo is the tallest Canadian on the ATP Tour.
Vasek Pospisil
- Age: 33
- Current Ranking: 165
- Career-High: 25
- NBO Appearance: 11th
- Best NBO Result: SF (2013)
- Most Recent NBO Result: R1 (2022)
- 2023 Record: 0-1
- Career NBO Record: 8-10
After finally getting his hands on the Davis Cup trophy after years of giving his all for his country, it has been a quiet season for Pospisil as he took several months away from the sport after the Australian Open.
The veteran made his return in qualifying at Wimbledon and competed on home soil last week in Granby. The National Bank Open is the only Masters 1000 event where he has ever made it past the third round, when he reached the semis in 2013, losing a thriller to his countryman Raonic. He is also the only active Canadian man to have won a Grand Slam title (doubles at Wimbledon in 2014).
Read also: Top Five Cinderella Runs in Toronto at the National Bank Open
Pospisil travels with his guitar and likes to write songs in his spare time.
Alexis Galarneau
- Age: 24
- Current Ranking: 162
- Career-High: 162
- NBO Appearance: 2nd
- Best NBO Result: R1 (2022)
- Most Recent NBO Result: R1 (2022)
- Career NBO Record: 0-1
Galarneau competed in his lone singles match on the ATP Tour last year at the National Bank Open in Montreal, losing in two tight sets to 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov. He returns this year to the site of his first-ever ATP Tour match (in doubles with Auger-Aliassime) in Toronto.
Read also: Revisiting Ivan Lendl’s Six Titles at the National Bank Open
Earlier this year, Galarneau made his first attempt to qualify for a Grand Slam event at the Australian Open, falling in the second round. He was also a member of the Davis Cup-winning Canadian squad in 2022. Last week, he won the biggest title of his career at the ATP Challenger event on home soil in Granby.
While playing in the NCAA for North Carolina State, Galarneau took courses in sports management.
Come back next week to meet some of the under-the-radar players who could be a factor in Toronto.
The ATP's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open August 5 to 13 at Sobeys Stadium. Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!
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