{"id":611428,"date":"2024-03-05T20:36:36","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T17:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/montreals-gabriel-diallo-is-a-tennis-giant-in-the-making\/"},"modified":"2024-03-05T20:36:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T17:36:36","slug":"montreals-gabriel-diallo-is-a-tennis-giant-in-the-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/montreals-gabriel-diallo-is-a-tennis-giant-in-the-making\/","title":{"rendered":"#Montreal\u2019s Gabriel Diallo is a tennis giant in the making"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a216d8b6eef7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a216d8b6eef7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/montreals-gabriel-diallo-is-a-tennis-giant-in-the-making\/#POP_QUIZ\" >POP QUIZ<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\nAt 22 (and six-foot-eight), Diallo is a towering presence at the net, drawing comparisons to another Canadian upstart: Milos Raonic\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_1258581\" style=\"width: 2010px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1258581 size-full lazyload\" alt=\"A boy in a jacket and sweatpants holding a tennis racket\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_0265.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_0265-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_0265-844x562.jpg 844w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_0265-1000x666.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photography by Richmond Lam)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gabriel Diallo\u2019s pre-teen party trick was to recount, in near-perfect detail, the marathon match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic that c<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ed off the 2012 Australian Open. He still keeps a commemorative tennis magazine from around the same time. In childish chicken scratch, a pro player\u2019s name is Sharpied out on the cover and replaced with: <em>Diallo wins Australian Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s impossible to chalk up Diallo\u2019s present-day success to daydreaming alone. From the time he was six, Diallo\u2019s mom and dad\u2014immigrants from Ukraine and Guinea\u2014took him to matches at IGA Stadium, just down the street from their home in Montreal\u2019s Villeray neighbourhood. By 11, Diallo was practising there six afternoons a week as part of Tennis Canada\u2019s national development program. Before school, he joined his mother, Iryna, a professional handball player, in Villeray Park for footwork drills. \u201cNone of it felt forced,\u201d Diallo says. \u201cTo me, it was fun.\u201d<br \/>\n<img data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1258583 size-full lazyload\" alt=\"A smiling boy with curly brown hair and medium-toned skin\" width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2300.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2300-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2300-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2300-422x562.jpg 422w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2300-750x1000.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"\/>By 2018, Diallo\u2019s training regimen had earned him a tennis scholarship to the University of Kentucky, where he studied finance. Near the end of his third year, emboldened by a three-inch growth spurt that shot him up to six foot eight, Diallo went on a meteoric winning streak: he became the youngest Canadian to win a Challenger-level title since F\u00e9lix Auger-Aliassime and, despite barely cracking the global top 700, beat James Duckworth\u2014then the world\u2019s 62nd-ranked player\u2014in front of family and friends at Montreal\u2019s National Bank Open in the summer of 2022. Diallo\u2019s offensive flair and punishing serve started drawing comparisons to another Canadian upstart: Milos Raonic.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after, Diallo began working full-time with pro coach Martin Laurendeau, and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>led to France, Australia and the U.S. in search of Grand Slam berths. To date, Diallo has represented Canada at the Davis Cup and twice reached the final round of the 2024 Australian Open qualifiers. Along the way, he also met Novak Djokovic, world No. 1 and star of one of Diallo\u2019s formative match memories.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong>SIGN UP TO READ THE BEST OF MACLEAN\u2019S:<br \/>Get our top stories sent directly to your inbox twice a week<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Diallo\u2019s own global ranking now hovers around 136, cementing him as one of Canada\u2019s top young superstars. But, amid all the wins, Diallo has also had to learn how to lose. \u201cIn college, you want to win every <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the pros, if you win two out of 30 tournaments, it\u2019s a good year.\u201d Ahead of a slate of matches this spring\u2014including the Miami Open\u2014Diallo is adapting his aggressive play with slower, more diverse moves, proving 22 years old isn\u2019t too young for reinvention. To improve his coordination, he\u2019s taken up soccer tennis, jump rope and footwork, the last of which has come easily. \u201cI have my mom to thank for that,\u201d he says.<br \/>\n<img data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1258582 size-full lazyload\" alt=\"A straight-faced boy holding a tennis racket\" width=\"1500\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2212.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2212-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2212-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2212-422x562.jpg 422w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_2212-750x1000.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"\/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"POP_QUIZ\"><\/span>POP QUIZ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Hardest workout:<\/strong> Three sets of eight 30-second sprints during training in Sarasota, Florida.<br \/>\u201cI wasn\u2019t able to speak for 15 minutes afterwards.\u201d<br \/><strong>Weird hobby:<\/strong> \u201cReading. I used to hate it, so maybe it\u2019s just a weird hobby to me.\u201d<br \/><strong>Tennis twin:<\/strong> American pro Christopher Eubanks. \u201cWe\u2019re both tall and skinny and have aggressive games. He\u2019s one of the best in the world; I\u2019m not there yet.\u201d<br \/><strong>Pre-game prep:<\/strong> Putting a new grip on his racket and listening to Drake\u2014especially \u201cJungle.\u201d<br \/><strong>In-flight entertainment:<\/strong> Binging shows and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a>, like <em>The Sopranos<\/em>, <em>The Wire<\/em>, <em>Prison Break<\/em> and <em>The Notebook<\/em>.<br \/><strong>\u201cI made it\u201d moment:<\/strong> Beating James Duckworth at the 2022 National Bank Open in Montreal. \u201cI\u2019d never even practised with someone in the ATP top 100.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/culture\/gabriel-diallo-tennis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At 22 (and six-foot-eight), Diallo is a towering presence at the net, drawing comparisons to another Canadian upstart: Milos Raonic (Photography by Richmond Lam) Gabriel Diallo\u2019s pre-teen party trick was to recount, in near-perfect detail, the marathon match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic that capped off the 2012 Australian Open. He still keeps a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":611429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/G_Diallo_2024_0265-750x422.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[148906,158,130006],"class_list":["post-611428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-april-2024-issue","tag-culture","tag-the-prospect"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}