Rising tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime voted Canadian Press male athlete of the year

Tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime, who shone on some of the sport's biggest stages in 2022, is the winner of the Lionel Conacher Award as The Canadian Press male athlete of the year.

Auger-Aliassime is the third tennis player in history to receive the honour — awarded annually since 1932 — after Milos Raonic (2013, 2014) and Denis Shapovalov (2017). Decathlete Damian Warner won the award last year.

The 22-year-old from Montreal started the year at No. 11 in the world rankings and closed the season at a career-high No. 6.

Auger-Aliassime won his first four career ATP Tour titles this year, including three in a row during a 16-match win streak this fall in Florence, Antwerp and Basel. He also helped Canada win the Davis Cup for the first time.

"I managed to accomplish all the goals I set for myself and more," Auger-Aliassime said from Dubai. "I had already performed well halfway through the year, but to finish the year at the Turin Masters, to win the Davis Cup … I'm happy with my evolution as a person and as a player."

Auger-Aliassime received 20 of 48 votes in balloting from sports editors and broadcasters across the country.

WATCH | Auger-Aliassime leads Canada to 1st Davis Cup championship:

Soccer player Alphonso Davies, who starred with Bayern Munich and helped the Canadian team reach the World Cup, finished second with 10 votes. Hockey player Cale Makar, a star defenceman with the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, was third with seven votes.

"It's been a great year, so to receive this award — recognition from the Canadian public and media — is quite an honour," Auger-Aliassime said. "It's really nice."

Auger-Aliassime lost all eight of his ATP Tour final appearances before finally breaking through with a