Canadian tennis players look to get back on track at French Open

The Canadian tennis scene reached new heights in recent years thanks to a young core of domestic talent that broke through on the sport's biggest stages.

A cooling-off period appears to have settled in this season. Canada's top players will look to rectify that at the upcoming French Open.

At No. 10, Felix Auger-Aliassime is the highest-seeded Canadian at the second Grand Slam of the season. Denis Shapovalov, who also helped anchor Canada to a Davis Cup title last fall, is the other Canadian in the men's singles field at Roland Garros.

Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, leads the Canadian charge in women's singles. She's joined by Leylah Fernandez, who reached the final at Flushing Meadows in 2021, and Rebecca Marino.

"Following success like that there's often a consolidation phase," said longtime tennis broadcaster and former Canadian Davis Cup team coach Robert Bettauer. "First of all, you're not the hunter anymore, you're the hunted. So you're now a known commodity.

Montreal's Auger-Aliassime and the 31st-ranked Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., have both battled knee injuries this season. Auger-Aliassime also pulled out of a tune-up event in Lyon with a shoulder issue, although the withdrawal may have been precautionary.

Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., is ranked 41st in the world while Fernandez, from Laval, Que., is at No. 51. Marino, from Vancouver, is the world No. 79.

While their rankings may have dipped a bit of late, it can be easy to forget that Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov, Andreescu and Fernandez are all in their early 20s.

"They're very dangerous players," said Bettauer, the CEO of the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence. "Any player, if they can get a couple of good wins under their