FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BIANCA ANDREESCU NAMED 2019 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Andreescu also named Singles Player of the Year and Most Improved Player; Gabriela Dabrowski is the Doubles Player of the Year and Leylah Annie Fernandez is named Junior Player of the Year.

Montreal, December 18, 2019 — Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Bianca Andreescu is the winner of the 2019 Excellence Awards in the categories of Female Player of the Year, Singles Player of the Year and Most Improved Player. In addition, Gabriela Dabrowski has been named once again as the Doubles Player of the Year while Leylah Annie Fernandez is the Junior Player of the Year.

“We would like to offer sincere congratulations to Bianca, Gabriela and Leylah Annie on their impressive accomplishments throughout the year,” stated Michael Downey, President and CEO at Tennis Canada. “2019 has been an exceptional year for tennis in Canada and it is notably thanks to the historic exploits of Bianca that we were able to live extraordinary moments. In addition to her success on the court, she also demonstrated that she is an outstanding ambassador for Canadian tennis. For her part, Gabriela continued to establish herself as one of the best doubles players in the world; while Leylah Annie garnered attention for her results not only in juniors, but also at the professional level. She undoubtedly has a very bright future. We are already impatiently awaiting the start of the 2020 season and we will be closely following their future exploits.”

Andreescu takes home this honour for the second time in three years. She certainly had an exceptional 2019 season which saw her make Canadian tennis history by becoming the first Canadian athlete to capture a singles Grand Slam title when she won the US Open. A few weeks earlier, Andreescu became the first Canadian in 50 years to be crowned champion at the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, since Faye Urban in 1969. Furthermore, she won her first WTA title in March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, during what was the beginning of her meteoric rise. The Ontario native, who began the year ranked at no. 152, rose to the no. 4 spot (on October 21). After being named “Newcomer of the Year” by the WTA and becoming the first tennis player to win the prestigious Lou Marsh Trophy, it is no surprise that she also wins the Tennis Canada Excellence Award for Most Improved Female Player.

Dabrowski and Fernandez also honoured
With her doubles ranking of no. 8, Dabrowski is the best doubles player in the country and one of the recognized specialists on the WTA tour. In July, she reached the doubles final at Wimbledon alongside partner Xu Yifan. For a third consecutive year, Dabrowski earned a spot in the year-end WTA Finals which brings together the eight best doubles teams of the year. She also added a WTA title to her collection when she won the Nuremberg Open, bringing her total to nine titles.

For her part, Fernandez, had a lot of success playing on both the junior and professional circuits in 2019. In fact, she reached the final at the Junior Australian Open and became the first Canadian player to win the title at the Junior French Open. Her success at the junior level allowed her to rise to the no. 3 spot in the ITF rankings. At the professional level, the 17-year-old won her first title at the Gatineau National Bank Challenger and followed that up with a run to the final in Granby.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Year	Male Player of the Year	Female Player of the Year
1982	Réjean Genois	Marjorie Blackwood
1983	Glenn Michibata	Carling Bassett
1984	Martin Wostenholme	Carling Bassett
1985	Glenn Michibata	Carling Bassett
1986	Andrew Sznajder	Helen Kelesi
1987	Grant Connell	Helen Kelesi
1988	Andrew Sznajder	Jill Hetherington
1989	Andrew Sznajder	Helen Kelesi
1990	Grant Connell	Helen Kelesi
1991	Grant Connell	Patricia Hy
1992	Grant Connell	Patricia Hy
1993	Greg Rusedski	Patricia Hy
1994	Sébastien Lareau	Jana Nejedly
1995	Grant Connell	Patricia Hy-Boulais
1996	Sébastien Lareau	Patricia Hy-Boulais
1997	Daniel Nestor	Patricia Hy-Boulais
1998	No record of award	No record of award
1999	No record of award	No record of award
2000	Daniel Nestor and Sébastien Lareau	Sonya Jeyaseelan
2001	Daniel Nestor	Jana Nejedly
2002	Frédéric Niemeyer	Maureen Drake
2003	Daniel Nestor	Maureen Drake
2004	Daniel Nestor	Aleksandra Wozniak
2005	Daniel Nestor	Stéphanie Dubois
2006	Frank Dancevic	Aleksandra Wozniak
2007	Daniel Nestor	Stéphanie Dubois
2008	Daniel Nestor	Aleksandra Wozniak
2009	Daniel Nestor	Aleksandra Wozniak
2010	Daniel Nestor	Rebecca Marino
2011	Milos Raonic	Rebecca Marino
2012	Milos Raonic	Aleksandra Wozniak
2013	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2014	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2015	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2016	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2017	Denis Shapovalov	Bianca Andreescu
2018	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2019	Will be announced December 19	Bianca Andreescu

About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP Tour events, five professional ATP and ITF sanctioned events and financially supports four other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 
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Media contacts

Valérie Tétreault, Director, Communications
vtetreault@tenniscanada.com or 514-273-1515, ext. 6259

Victoria Jaklin, Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations
vjaklin@tenniscanada.com or 514-273-1515, ext. 6291

Oliver Wheeler, Coordinator, Communications
owheeler@tenniscanada.com or 416-665-9777, ext. 4545

POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE

BIANCA ANDREESCU NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2019 DE TENNIS CANADA
Andreescu reçoit également les prix de Joueuse de simple de l’année et de Joueuse la plus améliorée ; Gabriela Dabrowski est la Joueuse de double de l’année et Leylah Annie Fernandez la Joueuse junior de l’année.

Montréal, le 18 décembre 2019 — Tennis Canada a annoncé mercredi que Bianca Andreescu était la lauréate des Prix d’excellence de 2019 dans les catégories Joueuse de l’année, Joueuse de simple de l’année et Joueuse la plus améliorée. De plus, Gabriela Dabrowski a été choisie une fois de plus Joueuse de doublede l’année, tandis que Leylah Annie Fernandez est la Joueuse junior de l’année.

« Nous offrons toutes nos félicitations à Bianca, à Gabriela et à Leylah Annie pour leurs réalisations tout au long de cette saison », a déclaré Michael Downey, président et chef de la direction de Tennis Canada. « 2019 aura été une année exceptionnelle pour le tennis canadien et c’est notamment grâce aux exploits de Bianca qui nous a fait vivre de grandes émotions. Outre ses succès sur le terrain, elle a démontré qu’elle est une ambassadrice hors pair pour le tennis canadien. Gabriela a continué de s’affirmer comme l’une des meilleures joueuses de double du monde ; tandis que Leylah Annie a su retenir l’attention grâce à ses résultats, non seulement chez les juniors, mais aussi chez les professionnelles. Elle est vouée à un très bel avenir. Nous attendons déjà avec impatience le début de la saison 2020 et nous suivrons de près leurs futurs exploits. »

Andreescu remporte cet honneur pour une deuxième fois en trois ans. Elle a effectivement connu une saison 2019 exceptionnelle au cours de laquelle elle a marqué à jamais l’histoire du tennis canadien en devenant, aux Internationaux des États-Unis, la première athlète canadienne à récolter un titre du Grand Chelem en simple. Quelques semaines auparavant, Andreescu était devenue la première Canadienne en 50 ans à être couronnée championne de la Coupe Rogers présentée par Banque Nationale, soit depuis Faye Urban en 1969. De plus, elle a remporté son premier titre de la WTA en mars dans le cadre du tournoi d’Indian Wells amorçant ainsi une ascension fulgurante. L’Ontarienne, qui a amorcé l’année au 152^e rang mondial, s’est hissée au 4^e échelon (en date du 21 octobre). Après avoir été nommée « Nouvelle venue de l’année » par la WTA et être devenue la première joueuse de tennis à être la lauréate du prestigieux trophée Lou-Marsh, c’est sans surprise qu’elle a également remporté le Prix d’excellence de Tennis Canada pour la Joueuse la plus améliorée.   

Dabrowski et Fernandez aussi honorées 
En vertu de son 8^e rang mondial, Dabrowski est la meilleure joueuse de double du pays et l’une des vedettes de cette spécialité sur le circuit de la WTA. En juillet, elle a atteint la finale de Wimbledon aux côtés de sa partenaire Xu Yifan. Pour une troisième année consécutive, Dabrowski a obtenu son billet pour les Finales de la WTA réservées aux huit meilleures équipes de l’année. Elle a également ajouté un titre de la WTA à son tableau de chasse, soit celui de Nuremberg, pour ainsi porter son total à neuf.

Fernandez, pour sa part, a connu du succès sur les scènes junior et professionnelle en 2019. En effet, en plus d’atteindre la finale de l’épreuve junior des Internationaux d’Australie, elle est devenue la première Canadienne à conquérir les grands honneurs de l’épreuve junior de Roland-Garros. Ses succès chez les juniors lui ont permis de grimper jusqu’au 3^e rang mondial au classement de l’ITF. Chez les professionnelles, l’athlète de 17 ans a remporté son premier titre lors du tournoi présenté à Gatineau, puis a enchaîné avec une présence en finale du Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby. 


JOUEURS PAR EXCELLENCE

Année	Joueur de l’année	Joueuse de l’année
1982	Réjean Genois	Marjorie Blackwood
1983	Glenn Michibata	Carling Bassett
1984	Martin Wostenholme	Carling Bassett
1985	Glenn Michibata	Carling Bassett
1986	Andrew Sznajder	Helen Kelesi
1987	Grant Connell	Helen Kelesi
1988	Andrew Sznajder	Jill Hetherington
1989	Andrew Sznajder	Helen Kelesi
1990	Grant Connell	Helen Kelesi
1991	Grant Connell	Patricia Hy
1992	Grant Connell	Patricia Hy
1993	Greg Rusedski	Patricia Hy
1994	Sébastien Lareau	Jana Nejedly
1995	Grant Connell	Patricia Hy-Boulais
1996	Sébastien Lareau	Patricia Hy-Boulais
1997	Daniel Nestor	Patricia Hy-Boulais
1998	Pas de prix décerné	Pas de prix décerné
1999	Pas de prix décerné	Pas de prix décerné
2000	Daniel Nestor et Sébastien Lareau	Sonya Jeyaseelan
2001	Daniel Nestor	Jana Nejedly
2002	Frédéric Niemeyer	Maureen Drake
2003	Daniel Nestor	Maureen Drake
2004	Daniel Nestor	Aleksandra Wozniak
2005	Daniel Nestor	Stéphanie Dubois
2006	Frank Dancevic	Aleksandra Wozniak
2007	Daniel Nestor	Stéphanie Dubois
2008	Daniel Nestor	Aleksandra Wozniak
2009	Daniel Nestor	Aleksandra Wozniak
2010	Daniel Nestor	Rebecca Marino
2011	Milos Raonic	Rebecca Marino
2012	Milos Raonic	Aleksandra Wozniak
2013	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2014	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2015	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2016	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2017	Denis Shapovalov	Bianca Andreescu
2018	Milos Raonic	Eugenie Bouchard
2019	Sera dévoilé le 19 décembre	Bianca Andreescu

À propos de Tennis Canada
Tennis Canada, dont les origines remontent à 1890, est une organisation sportive nationale sans but lucratif dont la mission est d’assurer la croissance du tennis au Canada et dont la vision est de devenir un chef de file mondial au tennis. Nous valorisons le travail d’équipe, la passion, l’intégrité, l’innovation et l’excellence. Tennis Canada possède et administre deux prestigieux tournois de l’ATP Tour et de la WTA ; les volets masculin et féminin de la Coupe Rogers présentée par Banque Nationale, ainsi que cinq tournois professionnels de l’ATP et de l’ITF. De plus, il possède et soutient financièrement quatre autres tournois professionnels au Canada. Tennis Canada administre également des centres nationaux/programmes d’entraînement à Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver et Calgary. Tennis Canada est membre de la Fédération internationale de tennis, du Comité olympique canadien et du Comité paralympique canadien. De plus, Tennis Canada administre, commandite et choisit des équipes pour la Coupe Davis, la Fed Cup, les Jeux olympiques et paralympiques et forme des équipes nationales pour les juniors, les vétérans et les joueurs de tennis en fauteuil roulant. Tennis Canada investit ses excédents budgétaires dans le développement du tennis. Pour obtenir plus amples renseignements sur Tennis Canada, visitez notre site Web au www.tenniscanada.com et suivez-nous sur Facebook et Twitter.

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INJURY REPORT AT 1:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY

Detroit Pistons Bone, Jordan Out G League – Two-Way Doumbouya, Sekou Out G League – On Assignment Drummond, Andre Questionable Injury/Illness – Left Eye; Inflammation Griffin, Blake Questionable Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Soreness Jackson, Reggie Out Injury/Illness – Left Lumbar Spine; Stress Reaction King, Louis Out G League – Two-Way Thomas, Khyri Out Injury/Illness – Right Foot; Surgery

Toronto Raptors Brissett, Oshae Out G League – Two-Way Hernandez, Dewan Out G League – On Assignment Johnson, Stanley Out Injury/Illness – Left Groin; Stress reaction Ponds, Shamorie Out G League – Two-Way Thomas, Matt Out Injury/Illness – Left Finger; Middle; fracture – distal phalanx VanVleet, Fred Doubtful Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Contusion

TORONTO RAPTORS (18-8) AT DETROIT PISTONS (11-16) REGULAR SEASON GAME #28 / HOME GAME #15 LITTLE CAESARS ARENA WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2019 AT 7:00 P.M. ET TV: FSD RADIO: 97.1 FM

PISTONS‘ LAST GAME STARTERS

F 17 Tony Snell Ht: 6-7 Wt: 213 New Mexico

Averages: 8.3 Pts 1.8 Rebs 1.4 Asts 0.4 Stls 25.9 Min

LAST GAME: 10 points (two triples) and three assists in 26 minutes vs. WAS (12/16)…Ninth double-digit scoring game on year. THIS SEASON: Ranks 10th in NBA in 3FG% (.452, 47-104 3FG)…Missed four games – left hip strain (11/20-11/25)…Ranks third on team with 47 3FG…Six-straight games with two+ threes (11/2-11/12), fourstraight with three+ 3-pointers (11/4-11/11); marked career-long streaks…Five-straight games scoring 10+ pts (11/2-11/11); tied career-long streak…Season-high 24 points (9-9 FG, 6-6 3FG) vs. NYK (11/6)…Became 1st Piston, 9th NBA player to make six threes, shoot 1.000 from the field.

F 8 Markieff Morris Ht: 6-10 Wt: 245 Kansas

Averages: 11.0 Pts 4.0 Rebs 1.6 Asts 0.7 Stls 22.5 Min

LAST GAME: Season-high-tying 22 points (8-13 FG, 1-2 3FG), five rebounds, three assists, one steal in 33 minutes vs. WAS (12/16)…Third-straight double-digit scoring game. THIS SEASON: Ranks tied for 21st in NBA in 3FG% (.416, 42-of-101 3FG)…Ranks fourth on team in total rebounds (105)…Made multiple threes in 13 games… Has scored in double figures in 15 games…Recorded 1,000th career assist vs. MIN (11/11)…Has two 20-plus scoring games…Season-high four 3-pointers vs. NYK (11/6)…Scored in double-digits in four-straight games (11/6-11/12) and three-straight games (10/30-11/2).

C 7 Thon Maker Ht: 7-1 Wt: 221 South Sudan

Averages: 3.2 Pts 1.9 Rebs 0.5 Asts 0.6 Blks 11.0 Min

LAST GAME: Four points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 20 minutes vs. WAS (12/16)…Second start of season. THIS SEASON: Ranks third on team in blocks (16)…Five games with multiple blocks…One game with double-digit scoring (seasonhigh 12 points at MIA, 11/12)…Shooting 26-of-49 (.531) from field, 7-of-14 (.500) from 3-point range…Has played in 25 games.

G 5 Luke Kennard Ht: 6-5 Wt: 206 Duke

Averages: 16.1 Pts 3.5 Rebs 4.2 Asts 0.5 Stls 33.0 Min

LAST GAME: 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-7 3FG), six rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes vs. WAS (12/16)…19th game with multiple 3-pointers.

THIS SEASON: 67-of-170 (.394) from distance; first in 3FG on team, first in 3FGA…Has led team in scoring six times, in assists four times…Ranks T-6th in NBA in FT% (.904)…Made at least three triples in 13 games, at least four 3-pointers in seven games…Tallied double-digit scoring in 20 games, 20+ in 10 games…Three-straight games leading team in pts, minutes (11/811/12)…Career-long streak with three-straight 20-plus pt games (11/8-11/12)…Careerhigh 30 pts, career-best six 3FG at IND (10/23).

G 6 Bruce Brown Ht: 6-5 Wt: 202 Miami

Averages: 8.1 Pts 4.5 Rebs 3.7 Asts 1.1 Stls 26.4 Min

LAST GAME: 20 points (5-10 FG, 2-4 3FG, 8-8 FT), six rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks in 27 minutes vs. WAS (12/16)…Set career high for FTM (eight) and tied career high for FTA (eight)…Second career 20-plus point game. THIS SEASON: First double-double of career (16 points, career-high-tying 10 rebounds) and career-high four steals at HOU (12/14)…Ranks second on team in steals (29)…Eight games with multiple steals…Has led Pistons in passing in seven games, including threestraight (11/12-11/20)…Nine games with double-digit scoring…Career-high 11 assists at MIA (11/12)…First time in career collecting consecutive games scoring in double figures (11/2-11/4)…Career highs in points (22), FG (8), FGA (20), minutes (40) vs. BKN (11/2).

PISTONS NOTES

PISTONS POURING IT IN: Detroit has shot .385 from 3-point range this season, which ranks second in the NBA. Detroit is shooting the third-highest percentage from beyond the arc in franchise history (franchise record – .404, 1995-96).

SECOND-UNIT SUCCESS: The Pistons have had a tremendous amount of offensive production from their bench, ranking second in the NBA in bench scoring in 2019-20. Detroit’s bench is currently averaging the most bench points in a single season in franchise history.

PISTONS SINGLE-SEASON BENCH SCORING RECORD

SEASON BENCH PPG

2019-20 46.5

2010-11 39.0

1976-77 37.5

1985-86 37.5

HEADING SOUTH ACROSS THE BORDER: Detroit’s game versus Dallas on Dec. 12 marked the 10th NBA regular-season game ever played in Mexico City and the first regular-season game for the Pistons in Mexico City. Detroit had played one preseason game in Mexico City, previously squaring off with the Washington Bullets on Oct. 30, 1995 leading to a 110-99 victory at Palacio de los Deportes. The matchup with on Dec. 12 with Dallas was Detroit’s second regular-season international game (Jan. 17, 2013 vs. New York Knicks in London – the Pistons fell to the Knicks, 87-102).

COMBINED BENCH HISTORY: Detroit’s bench combined to score at least 60 points in back-to-back games (12/1-12/3), marking just the second time in franchise history the Pistons have had consecutive games with 60 or more points from their reserves. The Pistons had 75 bench points vs. SAS on Dec. 1 and 67 points on Dec. 3 at CLE. The only other time since 1970-71 (first year starters were listed) that Detroit has done so was from Dec. 26-28, 2012.

STRONG SHOWING VS. THE SPURS: The Pistons tallied a season-best 132 points vs. San Antonio on Dec. 1. Below are some highlights from the Pistons: – The Pistons led wire-to-wire for the first time this season. – Detroit’s 132 points marked a season high, while the Pistons’ 37 points in the third quarter was the most the team has scored in a third frame this season. – The 34-point win marked the largest margin of victory for Detroit this season and the franchise’s largest ever in a win over the Spurs (previous high was 32 points vs. SAS – 143-111 on Nov. 27, 1987). – The Pistons’ reserves scored 75 points, marking the highest total for bench scoring for Detroit since Dec. 26, 2012. – Detroit grabbed a season-high 50 rebounds and totaled a season-high 70 points in the paint.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: The Pistons erupted for 128 points vs. Atlanta on Nov. 22. Below are some details of Detroit’s offensive prowess against the Hawks: – Detroit went on a 20-0 run in the first quarter vs. Atlanta (went from down 7-17 to up 27-17), marking the longest run by the Pistons since going on a 24-0 run at Portland on Nov. 8, 2015. – Detroit scored 76 points in the first half. It is the most points in a first half by Detroit since scoring 77 points on Dec. 2, 1983 also against Atlanta. The last time Detroit scored 76-plus points in either half was Feb. 7, 1995 vs. Washington (76 in second half). – The Pistons scored 43 points in the second quarter, marking their highest-scoring quarter on the year. – The Pistons finished 49-of-82 (.598) from the floor, marking their best shooting percentage in 2019-20. – Detroit finished 17-of-34 (.500) from 3-point range. The 17 triples set a season best for the Pistons.
REVERED RESERVES: Detroit has had three players score at least 30 points in a game off the bench this season (Kennard, Rose, Galloway), marking just the second time in franchise history that a Pistons team has had three reserves score 30-plus points in any game in a season (2010-11 – Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Richard Hamilton). Kennard, Rose and Galloway join a group of now 15 Pistons players who have ever tallied at least 30 points as a reserve.

BENCH DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Both Derrick Rose (10 points/10 rebounds) and Christian Wood (28 points/10 rebounds) tallied double-double vs. San Antonio on Dec. 1, becoming the first duo to have double-doubles in the same game off the bench for Detroit since Dec. 28, 2012 (Andre Drummond and Will Bynum). Rose also totaled 16 points and 10 assists off the bench at Toronto on Oct. 30, while Wood (19 points, 12 rebounds vs. IND, 10/28) became the first Pistons reserve to record a double-double with such numbers since Boban Marjanovic on Apr. 7, 2017.

DISHING IT AROUND: Detroit dished out a season-high 37 assists versus the New York Knicks on Nov. 6, marking the team’s most assists since recording 37 dimes in a 108-85 win over Minnesota on Feb. 16, 2010. Detroit has five games with 30 or more assists this season (most recent – 33 at CLE, 12/3).

OPENING NIGHT MADNESS: The Detroit Pistons had several historic individual achievements in the season opener at Indiana on Oct. 23. Below are some of those accomplishments: – Luke Kennard and Andre Drummond became the first Pistons duo to both score 30-plus points in a season opener. – Drummond became the first Piston to ever have 30-plus points/20-plus rebounds in a season opener. o Drummond is the first since Dennis Rodman (Jan. 2, 1991) to have any game with at least 30 points/20 rebounds. – Drummond became the first player in NBA history since at least 1973-74 with minimums of 32 points, 23 rebounds, three steals and four blocks in a season opener. o He is just the fourth NBA player to have any game with such minimums (H. Olajuwon, J.B. Carroll, D. Robinson) – (stls and blks introduced 1973-74