Toronto-born Tabilo climbs close to Canada’s best
Alejandro Tabilo, who has climbed to No. 25 in the ATP Tour rankings and looks poised to make a run at the French Open, was born and raised in Toronto — yet represents Chile.
For Canadian tennis, he’s the one who got away. “I was a very chubby kid. I never really looked liske I was going to be climbing up in the rankings. But I was No. 1 in all the (junior) categories there, and I never received a wild card for Rogers Cup or anything. So I never really felt the support,” said Tabilo, who did represent Canada as a junior but switched to his parents’ native Chile once he turned pro.
Would he still be flying the Maple Leaf, with the Summer Olympics coming up in Paris in July on his beloved clay courts, had things been a little different?
“I feel like if I would have been maybe a little bit more integrated into the whole Canadian system, or if they would have been more focused on me,” he said. “But I never really felt included.”
It has turned out extremely well for him.
In Santiago, Tabilo found a solid training base, a professional and supportive team, support and the opportunity to represent Chile internationally.
And, while it’s been a slow climb up the rankings with some notable health issues along the way, the 26year-old stands at a career high and is seeded 24th at the French Open, which begins Sunday.
He’s just three spots below top Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, the No. 21 seed in Paris.
Tabilo defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and top-20 player Karen Khachanov at the Italian Open last week on his way to the semifinals, where he fell to eventual champion Alexander Zverev in three sets.
He’s on a roll, playing the best tennis of his life — for Chile.
Tabilo’s tennis journey began at the Ontario Racquet Club in Mississauga, across the street from his childhood home. As he improved, he joined the regional program at the Tennis Canada centre in North York. But, when he was 13, Tabilo relocated to L’Académie de Tennis in Boynton Beach, Fla.
The Canadian brain trust thought he was too heavy, and not talented enough.
Tabilo’s results certainly belied the lack of faith. After relocating to Florida, he quickly won the 14-andunder title at the Eddie Herr junior tournament in Bradenton, Fla. That earned a scholarship to the IMG Academy, where he spent nearly four years.
When Tabilo played the junior French Open nine years ago, he ranked among the top 30 juniors in the world. He was notably the only Canadian boy close to the top level. The next year, Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov both broke through.
The IMG Academy wanted him to play college tennis, but Tabilo and his family, who all still live in Toronto, decided against it. He returned to the Boynton Beach academy and, two years later, moved to Santiago.
That’s when everything changed. The Canadian became a Chilean.
He also dropped the extra pounds, but perhaps in too drastic a fashion. While dealing with a back injury, Tabilo says he lost too much weight after switching to a highly restrictive high-protein, no-carb diet. He has since found a better balance.