The Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Rogers will soon reach 37% of its objective of building 160 new indoor courts across 30 facilities by 2029. Additionally, the National Bank Play Your Court program, launched in 2023, has also started revitalizing courts around the country (13 courts in total so far) with the goal being to improve 100 outdoor public courts by 2030.
Partnering with the University of Ottawa, Own the Podium, the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS), and Game Plan to design, implement and evaluate a comprehensive long-term strategy to improve the mental health and wellness of Tennis Canada athletes, coaches, parents, and staff, this program was launched in 2024 and will continue to evolve in the years ahead.
Kayla Cross claimed three titles, winning the singles event at the Saskatoon Challenger and doubles at the Edmonton and Calgary National Bank Challengers. She also made the singles final at the Tevlin Challenger and Granby National Bank Championships. Marino won the singles title in Calgary, while the doubles pairing of Mia Kupres and Ariana Arsenault won titles in Saskatoon and at the Granby National Bank Championships. Liam Draxl (singles and doubles) and Cleeve Harper (doubles) won titles in Edmonton, and Draxl also enjoyed singles success at Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures.
Milestones include:
Some highlights include:
Some of this year’s highlights below:
With victories over Argentina, Finland, and Great Britain, the Canadian Davis Cup team finished first in their group at the Davis Cup Group Stage in Manchester, UK in September, securing a spot in the Final 8 in Malaga in November. Meanwhile, the Canadian Billie Jean King Cup team earned automatic entry to their Finals having won the competition last year. Both teams reached the quarter-finals in Malaga.
This year, several innovative projects were implemented as part of the Game. Set. Equity. commitment in partnership with National Bank. Twenty-one programs received funding via the GSE Community Tennis Grants, bringing the total amount invested in community initiatives via the program to nearly $200,000.
Also in partnership with National Bank, the UNMATCHED: Gender Equity in Sports Conference hosted 575 attendees, including over 50 “Next Gen” community leaders at no cost, who enjoyed the opportunity to hear from keynote speaker, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams. Gender equity was also front-and-centre during the National Bank Open in Toronto and Montreal, with the umpires’ chairs on centre court in both cities painted purple, the colour of equity. Shortly after the NBO, Tennis Canada ran a mass marketing campaign intended to raise awareness of its GSE program, which accrued over 70 million impressions.
Finally, the Billie Jean King Cup Champions Tour saw the famous trophy travel across all ten provinces, celebrating the past, present and future of the sport, with GSE activities offered at all stops to provide professional development opportunities for women leaders and inspire the next generation of women athletes.
Dabrowski wrote another chapter in the history of Canadian tennis in 2024, becoming the country’s first player to be crowned champion at the WTA Finals. She and Routliffe defeated Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in straight sets (7-5, 6-3) in the final to claim the title.
Auger-Aliassime also finished fourth in singles, and Rob Shaw reached the quarter-finals in quad singles wheelchair tennis at the 2024 Paralympics.