Victoria Mboko and Félix Auger-Aliassime are the recipients of the 2025 Tennis Canada Excellence Awards in the Women’s Player of the Year and Men’s Player of the Year categories, respectively. Mboko also took home Women’s Singles Player of the Year and Women’s Most Improved Player of the Year, while Auger-Aliassime was selected as Men’s Singles Player of the Year.
2025 TENNIS CANADA EXCELLENCE AWARDS
EXCELLENCE AWARD | RECIPIENT |
Women’s Player of the Year | Victoria Mboko (Burlington, ON) |
Men’s Player of the Year | Félix Auger-Aliassime (Montreal, QC) |
Women’s Singles Player of the Year | Victoria Mboko |
Men’s Singles Player of the Year | Félix Auger-Aliassime |
Women’s Doubles Player of the Year | Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON) |
Men’s Doubles Player of the Year | Cleeve Harper (Calgary, AB) |
Women’s Most Improved Player of the Year | Victoria Mboko |
Men’s Most Improved Player of the Year | Gabriel Diallo (Montreal, QC) |
Junior Girls’ Player of the Year | Nadia Lagaev (Vaughan, ON) |
Junior Boys’ Player of the Year | Nicolas Arseneault (Richmond Hill, ON) |
Wheelchair Tennis Player of the Year | Thomas Venos (New Westminster, BC) |
Wheelchair Tennis Most Improved Player | Shawn Courchesne (Brampton, ON) |
“What a season this has been for Canadian tennis, one that will undoubtedly be remembered for many years to come,” said Gavin Ziv, Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Canada. "Victoria [Mboko], who was named Junior Player of the Year just three years ago, has already established herself among the Top 20 players in the world. Her dream run at our flagship tournament, the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, lifted our nation to its feet and wowed the entire world of sport.
“Félix [Auger-Aliassime], who has enjoyed exceptional seasons year after year, has managed to surpass himself in 2025 by breaking into the world's Top 5, 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. Congratulations to Victoria and Félix, as well as all other Excellence Award winners – Gabriela Dabrowski, Gabriel Diallo, Cleeve Harper, Nadia Lagaev, Nicolas Arseneault, Thomas Venos, and Shawn Courchesne – for contributing to a truly spectacular year of Canadian tennis. We wish you continued success in 2026 and look forward to seeing you back on the courts very soon.”
RECORD-SETTING SEASONS FOR MBOKO AND AUGER-ALIASSIME
At only 19 years old, Mboko is named Women’s Player of the Year, Singles Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player of the Year for the first time in her career. The two-time Junior Girls’ Player of the Year started the season at world No. 350, before stringing together 20 consecutive main-draw wins – a Canadian record for a woman. After winning her first WTA main-draw match at the Miami Open, Mboko qualified for Roland Garros and reached the third round. She also played at Wimbledon and the US Open, but the highlight of her season came on home soil at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, where she defeated Grand Slam champions Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka en route to becoming the youngest Canadian to win the event. To cap off her exceptional season, Mboko captured the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open and extended her winning streak to five matches at the Billie Jean King Cup, helping Team Canada secure its place in the 2026 Qualifiers.
For his part, Auger-Aliassime wins Men’s Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year for the fifth consecutive season. The Montrealer started his 2025 campaign on a high, winning ATP 250 titles in Adelaide, Australia and Montpellier, France. Auger-Aliassime continued to impress in the summer when he reached the quarter-final 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 5 in singles, becoming the only Canadian man other than Milos Raonic to do so. Auger-Aliassime also became the first Canadian to record multiple 50-win seasons.
DABROWSKI, HARPER AND DIALLO ALSO HONOURED
Dabrowski, Canada’s top doubles player, receives her 13th consecutive Women’s Doubles Player of the Year award after a season that saw her claim three titles and qualify for the WTA Finals. The Ottawa native clinched the third WTA 1000 title of her career – her first at the Cincinnati Open – and won the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart, Germany. The pinnacle of Dabrowski’s season came in September at the US Open, where she and her partner Erin Routliffe clinched their second women’s doubles title at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was her fourth Grand Slam title and second in women’s doubles.
Enjoying a breakout season and receiving his first Men’s Doubles Player of the Year award is Harper, the world No. 90. In January, the Calgarian won his biggest career title at the 100-level ATP Challenger in Oeiras, Portugal, alongside compatriot Liam Draxl. Harper added two more Challenger titles to his collection, won his first ATP Tour-level match at the NBO in Toronto, and made his Grand Slam main-draw debut at the US Open. He also represented Canada at the Davis Cup for the first time, winning both his singles and doubles rubbers.
The award for Men’s Most Improved Player of the Year goes to Montreal’s Diallo, for the third time in a row. Diallo continues to progress on the professional tour, and this season won his first ATP Tour-level title at the Libema Open (ATP 250), which marked the first time a Canadian man won a singles title on grass since Greg Rusedski in 1993. Diallo also advanced to his first ATP 1000 quarter-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.
JUNIOR AND WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
In juniors, Lagaev wins her third straight award while Arseneault claims his second. Vaughan-native Lagaev led the way among Canadian girls with six J200 titles, four in singles and two in doubles. She also competed in six professional events, reaching the second round at the ITF tournaments in Saguenay (W75), Quebec City (W35), and Montreal (W15). Lagaev is Canada’s top-ranked junior at No. 31 in the world. Arseneault, who mainly played on the professional circuit this year, reached his first-career final at the M25 event in Santo Domingo. The high point of his season came at the NBO in Toronto, where he reached the second round of the main draw before falling to defending champion Alexei Popyrin in a hard-fought match.
On the wheelchair tennis circuit, Venos wins his first Excellence Award as Wheelchair Tennis Player of the Year. The New Westminster native reached a career-high ranking of No. 35 in singles and No. 38 in doubles, won three ITF titles, and claimed the Birmingham Nationals singles and doubles titles. Courchesne, also a first-time recipient, is selected as Wheelchair Tennis Most Improved Player of the Year. Competing in his first year in the quad division, he climbed to No. 22 in the world and claimed four ITF titles. Courchesne also won the Birmingham Nationals, in the quad division, in singles and doubles.
Photo: Mathieu Belanger/Tennis Canada
