Quebecers Félix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Annie Fernandez will lead the Canadian tennis team at the Paris Olympic Games, Tennis Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee jointly announced in a press release on Thursday.
Auger-Aliassime and Fernandez will each play singles and doubles.
Auger-Aliassime will play in men’s doubles alongside Ontarian Milos Raonic, while Fernandez will join forces with Ontarian Gabriela Dabrowski. Ontario’s Bianca Andreescu, 2019 US Open tennis champion, will also participate in the women’s singles tournament.
Auger-Aliassime, who occupies the 17e rank in the ATP world rankings, will be in his second Olympic Games after competing in the men’s singles and mixed doubles tournaments in Tokyo in 2021.
“It’s a global competition that brings the planet and athletes together around the Olympic values of friendship, respect and excellence; I’m proud to be part of such an inspiring event and I intend to carry the Canadian flag as high and as far as possible,” said the Quebecer in a press release.
Fernandez, who is 21, will also be in her second Olympic Games, following Tokyo in 2021. She is Canada’s highest-ranked player in the women’s singles draw, currently ranked 30e rank in the WTA rankings.
“I had a great time at the Tokyo Games and I’m looking forward to joining the rest of the team in Paris,” said Fernandez. “It’s a great experience when you can meet and spend time with athletes from other disciplines. Normally, we each focus on our own sports, but the Games give us all the chance to get to know each other and come together as one big family.”
The athletes qualified for the Paris Olympics by virtue of their places in the WTA and ATP rankings as of Monday June 10, 2024. Andreescu and Raonic used their protected rankings to gain direct access.
The list of mixed doubles entries will also be based on the ranking, but will be determined by means of registrations which will be made on site during the week of the Olympic tennis tournament. It will bring together athletes who are already part of one or other of the four other tables.
Canada’s only Olympic medal in tennis dates back to the 2000 Sydney Games, where Daniel Nestor and Sébastien Lareau won gold in men’s doubles.
The tennis competition will take place from July 27 to August 4 at Roland-Garros.