WTA 2023: The Best Canadian Tennis Players We Expect to See on the Tour

The WTA (Women's Tennis Association) annually hosts a World Tour that takes place in several countries across the globe. The WTA Finals, also known as the WTA Tour Championships or WTA Championships, is the culminating event of the season. Only the top players participate in this tournament. They spend the year competing in over 53 WTA tournaments globally, in addition to the four Grand Slam events, to earn a spot in the Finals.

There will be umpires at these tournaments to keep the game fair and orderly by enforcing the regulations and maintaining order. Over the course of its more than four decades of existence, the event's finals have been named after the corporate sponsors. WTA 2023 will span the globe from Australia to Africa to Europe to Asia to South America to North America.

Based on the WTA schedule of the 2023 Tour, there are already 56 confirmed events. The tournament will run from January to November (the same month slated for the 2023 ATP tour) and span six continents, providing enough opportunity for players to advance in the player rankings and win substantial cash prizes.

The WTA 2023, which began with the United Cup tournament in January in Australia, is slated to end with the Open Delle Puglie tournament. According to gambling expert Michelle H. Thomas, this year's total prize money pool might be tantamount to the 2022 and 2021 Final's prize pool, which is $5,000,000. In WTA 2023, some elite Canadian women making waves on the international scene are expected to pivot their way to the top.

Canadian tennis has flourished in the 21st century, and Canadian female tennis players have made their mark on the world stage. This article will focus on some of the top Canadian women professional tennis players of the 21st century that we expect to see on the Tour.

It will cover their formative years, significant accomplishments, Grand Slam appearances, other achievements, and projected future success. Their deeds should be celebrated to motivate the next generation of Canadian stars. Observing Canadian tennis players' accomplishments can help the country's burgeoning tennis scene produce more champions that will break records in the future. Let's get into these top Canadian stars.

1. Leylah Fernandez

Canadian professional tennis player Leylah Annie Fernandez (born September 6, 2002) won the second-set tiebreak and took down Shelby Rogers in straight sets. During the year 2021, Fernandez rose in popularity. This Canadian's first WTA Tour championship came in her second full year as a professional, when she was only 18 years old.

The following year, she shocked her audience and the tennis world by reaching the U.S. Open final after beating Naomi Osaka at her game, the defending champion, and Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed. The record made an indelible mark in the world of tennis. It's no wonder that avid gamblers in Canada who wager via the casinos featured  casinocanada.com constantly back Leylah for the win. In her seventh career main draw match, Fernandez fell to Emma Raducanu and came in second place.

The young woman, then just 20, could not duplicate her 2021 slam victory the following year. In addition to reaching the semifinals of the French Open, Fernandez also fractured her foot there. The injury inevitably resulted in a decline in performance. Despite reaching a career-high ranking of #13 in the WTA, Fernandez was eliminated from the U.S. Open in the second round, allowing her points to be forfeited. 

Next, she lost ground and ended up at number 40. In 2023, the Canadian youth will likely make a comeback. Fernandez has fully recovered from her foot injury and is keen to return to her winnings and join the elite group of title holders. As of April 17, 2023, Leylah holds the 38th position in her world and career-high ranking.

2. Bianca Andreescu

A wildcard entry in the 2023 Thai Open was given to singles player Bianca Andreescu, now ranked 43rd in the world. The decision to provide Andreescu with a wild card was good for the tournament organizers since she generated a lot of buzz and interest in the competition.

Andreescu will want to redeem herself after a slow beginning to the season by competing at the event in Hua Hun. Veronika Kudermetova eliminated Andreescu in the subsequent round of the Adelaide WTA 500 tournament. Her second-round Australian Open match against Cristina Bucsa was postponed due to weather, and she lost. Despite these setbacks, Andreescu is still a gifted player with a promising future. 

When she became the first Canadian to win the U.S. Open in the Open Era, she made headlines worldwide in 2019. Despite suffering an ankle injury, Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu has returned to training. This week, Andreescu went to the gym and tweeted a picture of herself jogging on a treadmill. Andreescu's injury seemed quite serious during their second-round match at the Miami Open against her opponent, Ekaterina Alexandrova, which contributed to her loss.

Andreescu, who needed help getting into a wheelchair to leave the court, said she had torn two ligaments in her ankle. Andreescu has returned to the weight room in a little over a month. Bianca holds the 37th position in the world ranking. And her ITF ranking in terms of her career-high is 27th position.

3. Eugenie Bouchard

Bouchard has been less of a full-time player on the WTA Tour after she could not repeat the success of her 2014 season. Bouchard and her doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, won a $50,000 event in Dothan, Alabama. Her first professional doubles title win. She's one of the tennis Canada players.

That year, the Canadian had her best-ever results in each Grand Slam tournament. The 29-year-old's 2023 season kicked off with a game in New Zealand in the ASB Classic qualifying round, where she was given a wildcard. Although Bouchard had a commanding first-round win against the eleventh-seeded Ann Li, she was forced to withdraw from the tournament before the second qualifying round due to stomach sickness. 

Bouchard used her player ranking to compete in the 2023 Australian Open classement WTA qualifying draw, where the American Ashlyn Krueger defeated her in three sets. After the loss, the comeback occurs after a time of difficulty for the previous world number five. Bouchard has not qualified for any Grand Slam tournaments in the last two years (2021 and 2022), a streak that extended to 2023 Australian Open. Her consistency has declined since 2014 when she was ranked fifth in the world by the WTF. Her world ranking dropped to 298th, and she has to wield her racket and start playing better if she wants to improve her position.

Other Canadian Female Tennis Athletes Worthy of Mention

●        Rebecca Marino

●        Gabriela Dabrowski

●        Katherine Sebov

●        Carol Zhao

To say that one of the above is the best female tennis player in Canada is highly debatable. However, it is inarguable that these athletes' achievements on the world tennis stage have helped to elevate the sport in Canada and served as role models for the next generation of Canadian professional tennis players.

This shows the country has an excellent tennis training system and plenty of untapped potential. If the future is any indication, tennis in Canada will only become bigger and better from here on out. Canada's tennis landscape is promising because of the numerous young players rapidly rising through the ranks and joining those who have begun to leave their indelible marks on the world stage.