Former Canadian Davis Cup team member Steven Diez has announced his retirement from professional tennis. At the age of 34, he ends his career with 34 titles to his name, including 24 in singles, nine in doubles, and one team crown at the 2022 ATP Cup.
“Congratulations to Steven [Diez] on his great career – we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavours,” said Guillaume Marx, Vice President of High Performance at Tennis Canada. “Steven proudly donned the Canadian colours on numerous occasions, most notably winning the ATP Cup in 2022, representing Canada in Davis Cup, and always displayed a tremendous attitude and fighting spirit. He has been a great role model for the next generation of athletes, both on and off the court. Best wishes to Steven, his wife Cynthia, and their son Patrick as they embark on this new adventure together.”
Diez was born in Canada and spent part of his childhood in Spain, where he was a top junior player. In 2010, he began representing Canada on the international stage and competed in his first Davis Cup at the Group I semi-final against Colombia. He subsequently played in two more Davis Cup events – the 2021 Finals and the 2022 Qualifiers 1st Round, the same year Canada won its first-ever Davis Cup title.
In 2016, Diez won his first ATP Tour-level main draw match in his hometown of Toronto at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. As a wild-card recipient, Diez stunned Britain’s Kyle Edmund, who was world No. 84 at the time, by a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. In 2019, the Canadian won the biggest singles title of his career at the Burnie Challenger 80 in Australia. That same year, he reached his highest career ranking of No. 134.
Other highlights of Diez’s career include qualifying for his first Grand Slam main draw at the 2020 French Open, where he defeated Ilya Ivashka, American Chirstopher Eubanks, and Frenchman Enzo Couacaud in the qualifiers. In 2022, he was part of the winning Canadian team at the ATP Cup, playing alongside Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, and Brayden Schnur. At the 2024 United Cup, Diez teamed up with Leylah Annie Fernandez to win a thrilling mixed doubles match 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 to secure the win over Chile.
The final victory of Diez’s career came earlier this year at the M25 Vic, where he defeated rising star and world No. 3 on the junior circuit, Andres Santamarta Roig of Spain.
Feature photo: Martin Sidorjak
