Milos Raonic wins Canadian male Player of the Year award

Following his best season in four years, Milos Raonic has won the Canadian male Player of the Year award. Raonic played on a high level in Melbourne, Cincinnati and Paris, combining that with his 2019 results to wrap up the year in the top-15 for the first time since 2016. Raonic has secured the award for the eighth time in the previous ten years, losing it only to Denis Shapovalov in 2017 and 2019. Struggling with injuries in the last couple of years, Milos was far from his A-game, drifting away from the top-10 but returning to that level in the season behind us. Following an early loss in Doha, Raonic reached the Australian Open quarter-final, losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets after a solid effort. Following the season restart in August, the Canadian advanced to the Cincinnati final, his first at the Masters 1000 level since Indian Wells 2016!

Novak Djokovic proved to be too strong again, beating Milos in three sets to keep a perfect score this year. After early exits at the US Open and Rome, Raonic was the semi-finalist in St. Petersburg and Paris, suffering a tight defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the French capital to wrap up the season. Milos will try to stay healthy in 2021 and chase even bigger goals, seeking the top-10 place for the first time since August 2017. An 18-year-old Leylah Annie Fernandez is the female Player of the Year, gaining 120 positions in 2020 to wrap up the year in the top-90. Leylah reached the Acapulco finalist as a qualifier, losing to Heather Watson in three sets and advancing into the third round at Roland Garros in her last tournament of the season. 

Milos Raonic is the Canadian best male player for the eighth time.

"We would like to offer sincere congratulations to all of the recipients of this year's Tennis Canada Excellence Awards. 2020 has been a very trying year, which saw the tennis season come to a halt for a few months, bringing tournaments and training to a standstill. And while not all our players were able to make a return to the courts, notably our junior, senior and wheelchair players, our athletes competing on the professional tour managed to put together some impressive performances. It was a very close race in the men's category, as both Milos and Denis had stellar seasons.

The recognition for their efforts throughout the year is very well deserved. On the women's side, 2020 was a breakout season for Leylah, as she made waves on the professional tour and proved that she can compete with the best in the world, despite her young age. Vasek and Gaby also continued to progress this past year, bringing their level of play to new heights. And after getting through such a tough year, our players are ready to take on anything that 2021 brings their way," Michael Downey, Tennis Canada President and CEO said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3oW7ELK