This makes Auger-Aliassime the third tennis player in history, after Milos Raonic (2013 and 2014) and Denis Shapovalov (2017), to receive this award, which has been presented annually since 1932. He also succeeds decathlon specialist Damian Warner, winner of the 2021 Trophy.

Auger-Aliassime, who is 22, passed away on March 11th^e World ranking at the beginning of 2022 and sixth at the end of the year, a personal career high. To do that, he needed to win his first four career titles, including three in a row during an irresistible 16-win streak this fall – in Florence, Antwerp and Basel.

“It’s been a great year; I managed to achieve all the goals I set for myself and more. I was already performing well halfway through the year, but ending the year at the Torino Masters, winning the Davis Cup… All this year I’m happy with my development as a person and as a player. It’s been a great year so it’s a great honor to receive this award – recognition from the Canadian public and media. It’s really nice,” said Auger-Aliassime after training on the sidelines of the World Tennis League in Dubai.

His title win in Rotterdam also allowed him to end a streak of eight losses in as many league games in his career on the ATP circuit.

The 1.80m tall, 194lb tennis player could have added more to his impressive harvest of 2022 as he also finished runners-up at the Marseille tournament earlier this season and reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open third season in a row.

He also dominated the ATP circuit in terms of hard court wins (45) and indoor wins (31) in 2022, getting rid of world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and former world No. 1 Novak, Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.

The Quebecer has also left his mark in team competitions.

Not only did he help his teams win the ATP Cup and Laver Cup, he also helped Canada win the Davis Cup for the first time in its history last month. At the same time, the country became the 16th^e in history to win top honors at the world’s most prestigious competition in team tennis.

The progress has been so meteoric that Tennis Canada Chief Performance Officer Guillaume Marx said during his organization’s traditional annual review this month that he (Auger-Aliassime) is “on track, I think, within the next two years Winning a Grand Slam title.

“Félix absolutely deserves this prestigious title (the Lionel Conacher Prize). […] He’s an incredible tennis player, but also an extraordinary human being. We are proud of his achievements this year and confident that his achievements on and off the court will inspire future generations of Canadian tennis players,” added Michael Downey, President and COO of Tennis Canada.

Auger-Aliassime thus received 20 of the 48 votes in the poll conducted among the country’s sporting directors, journalists and commentators. And for her, receiving the Lionel Conacher award left no doubt.

“Never before has a Canadian tennis player had a year like the one Auger-Aliassime just ended. It was dominant at the end of the year,” said the editor-in-chief and new media director of the Acadie Nouvelle, Gaétan Chiasson.

“Felix’s rise in the world of professional tennis in recent months has been unmatched by any other Canadian,” added Paul Ferguson, Toronto Sun’s athletic director.

Bayern Munich football star Alphonso Davies, who also became Canada’s all-time World Cup goalscorer earlier this month, came second in the polls with 10 votes, followed by star Colorado Avalanche defender and member of the last Stanley Cup winning teams, Cale Makar, with seven.

Auger-Aliassime’s decision allows Quebec to raid the individual awards presented by The Canadian Press. On Wednesday, Team Canada captain, hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin, won the award for Canada’s Most Outstanding Female Athlete.

The team of the year will be announced on Friday.