Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., was among the athletes named to Canada’s Olympic tennis team on Tuesday morning.
Ranked No. 7 in the world, Andreescu has struggled with injuries since winning the U.S. Open in 2019.
Andreescu will be joined at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics by Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil, Leylah Annie Fernandez of Laval, Que., Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Toronto’s Sharon Fichman.
They will be accompanied by men’s coach Frank Dancevic and women’s coach Heidi El Tabakh.
World No. 22 Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., announced on social media earlier Tuesday that he would not represent Canada at these Olympics.
Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., Canada’s top-ranked men’s player, announced he would not be going to Tokyo earlier this month.
Andreescu, Fernandez, Fichman and Auger-Aliassime will all be competing in their first Olympics.
It will be a second Olympic appearance for Dabrowski (Rio 2016), and a third for Pospisil (London 2012 and Rio 2016).
Canada’s only Olympic tennis medal was won at Sydney 2000 where Daniel Nestor and Sebastien Lareau claimed gold in men’s doubles.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2021.
Graham Cox
