Liam Draxl
Draxl celebrating a score in 2023 | |
| Country (sports) | Canada |
|---|---|
| Born | December 5, 2001 |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 2023 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| College | University of Kentucky |
| Prize money | US $ 299,232 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1–1 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 113 (28 July 2025) |
| Current ranking | No. 145 (12 January 2026) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2026) |
| French Open | Q1 (2025) |
| Wimbledon | Q1 (2025) |
| US Open | Q1 (2025) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 1–3 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 110 (4 August 2025) |
| Current ranking | No. 132 (13 October 2025) |
| Last updated on: 13 October 2025. | |
Liam Draxl (born December 5, 2001) is a Canadian tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 113, achieved on 28 July 2025 and a doubles ranking of No. 110, achieved on 4 August 2025.[2] He is currently the No. 4 Canadian player.[3]
College career
Draxl played college tennis at the University of Kentucky.[4] He compiled a 14–8 record in singles as a freshman and 25–3 as a sophomore.[5] He was named the National Player of the Year by the International Tennis Federation following his sophomore year in 2021 and was the first Wildcat to earn this award.[6][7][8]
Professional career
2021–2022: Maiden Challenger title and Masters debut in doubles
Draxl won his first Challenger title at the 2021 Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships in Lexington with Stefan Kozlov.[9]
Draxl made his ATP main draw debut at the 2022 National Bank Open after receiving a wildcard into the doubles main draw with Cleeve Harper, but lost in straight sets to Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.[10]
2023: Turned Pro, Challenger singles title, top 300
He turned pro in June 2023 and in November won his first singles title at the 2023 Calgary National Bank Challenger,[11][12][13] in just the second tournament at this level in the season. As a result he rose 100 positions, and on 13 November 2023 he reached the top 300 at world No. 297.[2]
2024: Five doubles Challengers titles, Top 250 in singles
Draxl reached the top 250 in the rankings on 10 June 2024, following a semifinal showing at the 2024 Tyler Tennis Championships where he lost to Brandon Holt. In doubles he won five Challenger titles during the season, his last two tournaments being in Puerto Vallarta (with Benjamin Sigouin) and Manzanillo (with Cleeve Harper), and reached a new career-high in the doubles rankings of No. 132 on 2 December 2024.[2][14][15]
2025: Record seven Challenger finals, Masters & Top 125 debuts
Draxl reached his third Challenger singles final at the 2025 Oeiras Indoors but lost to Hamad Medjedovic in straight sets.[16] Following another final at the Oeiras Indoors III he moved into the top 200 at world No. 183 in the singles rankings on 27 January 2025.[2][17][18] Following his final showing at the 2025 Sarasota Open and at the 2025 Savannah Challenger, Draxl moved into the top 150 in the singles rankings in May 2025.[2][19]
In July, Draxl reached three consecutive Challenger finals. He reached the final at the 2025 Cary Tennis Classic, where he became the first player to reach five Challenger finals in 2025. He lost to Rei Sakamoto in the final.[20] The following week, Draxl reached his sixth Challenger final of the year at the Winnipeg Challenger, where he defeated top seed Alexander Blockx to win his second Challenger title.[21][22][23] As a result he clinched the "Road to the NBO" wildcard to make his first main draw ATP Tour appearance at the 2025 National Bank Open.[24] The following week, Draxl defeated Alexander Blockx again in the semifinal in Granby, to reach a season-record seventh Challenger final.[25] He lost to August Holmgren in the final.[26]
Draxl received a wildcard to the main draw of the Canadian Open to make his ATP Tour debut.[27] He lost to Pablo Carreño Busta in the first round.
2026: Grand Slam debut
In January, Draxl made his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open as a qualifier.[28] He lost to Damir Džumhur in the first round. He also made his debut as a qualifier at the Masters in Miami.[29]
Personal life
Draxl's father is Brian Draxl who serves as the head tennis pro at the Newmarket Community Tennis Club[30][6]
Performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | SR | W–L | Win% | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | ||||
| French Open | A | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Wimbledon | A | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| US Open | A | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | ||||
| ATP Masters 1000 | ||||||||||
| Indian Wells Open | A | A | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||||
| Miami Open | A | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Monte-Carlo Masters | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Madrid Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Italian Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Canadian Open | Q1 | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | |||||
| Cincinnati Open | A | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Shanghai Masters | A | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Paris Masters | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | ||||
ATP Challenger Tour finals
Singles: 9 (2 titles, 7 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Nov 2023 | Calgary Challenger, Canada | Challenger | Hard | Dominik Koepfer | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Nov 2024 | Puerto Vallarta Open, Mexico | Challenger | Hard | Nishesh Basavareddy | 3–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Loss | 1–2 | Jan 2025 | Oeiras Indoors, Portugal | Challenger | Hard (i) | Hamad Medjedovic | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1–3 | Jan 2025 | Oeiras Indoors III, Portugal | Challenger | Hard (i) | Alexander Blockx | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1–4 | Apr 2025 | Sarasota Open, US | Challenger | Clay (green) | Emilio Nava | 2–6, 6–7(2–7) |
| Loss | 1–5 | Apr 2025 | Savannah Challenger, US | Challenger | Clay (green) | Nicolás Mejía | 6–2, 2–6, 6–7(3–7) |
| Loss | 1–6 | Jun 2025 | Cary Tennis Classic, US | Challenger | Hard | Rei Sakamoto | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–6 | Jul 2025 | Winnipeg Challenger, Canada | Challenger | Hard | Alexander Blockx | 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 2–7 | Jul 2025 | Championnats de Granby, Canada | Challenger | Hard | August Holmgren | 3–6, 3–6 |
Doubles: 12 (8 titles, 4 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Aug 2021 | Lexington Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard | Stefan Kozlov | Alex Rybakov Reese Stalder |
6–2, 6–7(5–7), [10–7] |
| Loss | 1–1 | Nov 2023 | Challenger de Drummondville, Canada | Challenger | Hard (i) | Giles Hussey | Andre Goransson Toby Samuel |
7–6(7–2), 3–6, [8–10] |
| Loss | 1–2 | Mar 2024 | São Léo Open, Brazil | Challenger | Clay | Alexander Weis | Marcelo Demoliner Orlando Luz |
5–7, 6–3, [8–10] |
| Win | 2–2 | Jun 2024 | Little Rock Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard | Benjamin Sigouin | Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli Hans Hach Verdugo |
6–4, 3–6, [10–7] |
| Win | 3–2 | Sep 2024 | Dobrich Challenger II, Bulgaria | Challenger | Clay | Cleeve Harper | Filippo Romano Francesco Maestrelli |
6–1, 3–6, [12–10] |
| Loss | 3–3 | Sep 2024 | Sibiu Open, Romania | Challenger | Clay | Cleeve Harper | Alexander Merino Christoph Negritu |
2–6, 6–7(2–7) |
| Win | 4–3 | Oct 2024 | MarketBeat Open, US | Challenger | Hard (i) | Cleeve Harper | Ryan Seggerman Patrik Trhac |
7–5, 6–3 |
| Loss | 4–4 | Nov 2024 | Challenger de Drummondville, Canada | Challenger | Hard (i) | Cleeve Harper | Robert Cash J.J. Tracy |
2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 5–4 | Nov 2024 | Puerto Vallarta Open, Mexico | Challenger | Hard | Benjamin Sigouin | Ryan Seggerman Karl Poling |
7–6(7–5), 6–2 |
| Win | 6–4 | Dec 2024 | Manzanillo Open, Mexico | Challenger | Hard | Cleeve Harper | Benjamin Sigouin Finn Reynolds |
6–7(4–7), 7–5, [12–10] |
| Win | 7–4 | Jan 2025 | Oeiras Indoors III, Portugal | Challenger | Hard (i) | Cleeve Harper | Matwé Middelkoop Denys Molchanov |
1–6, 7–5, [10–6] |
| Win | 8–4 | Apr 2025 | Tallahassee Tennis Classic, US | Challenger | Clay (green) | Cleeve Harper | James Cerretani George Goldhoff |
6–2, 6–3 |
ITF World Tennis Tour finals
Singles: 13 (7 titles, 6 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancelled | 0–0 | Jul 2021 | M15 Weston, US | WTT | Clay | Stefan Kozlov | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, canc. |
| Win | 1–0 | Dec 2021 | M15 Cancún, Mexico | WTT | Hard | Christian Langmo | 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–5), 7–6(8–6) |
| Win | 2–0 | Dec 2021 | M15 Cancún, Mexico | WTT | Hard | Isaiah Strode | 6–0, 6–1 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Jun 2022 | M25 Wichita, US | WTT | Hard | Clément Chidekh | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Dec 2022 | M15 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | WTT | Hard | Nick Hardt | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Jun 2023 | M15 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | WTT | Hard | Tauheed Browning | 6–7(5–7), 7–5, 6–7(8–10) |
| Loss | 2–4 | Jul 2023 | M25 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | WTT | Hard | Martin Damm Jr. | 6–7(5–7), 4–6 |
| Win | 3–4 | Sep 2023 | M15 Champaign, US | WTT | Hard | William Grant | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 4–4 | Oct 2023 | M15 Albuquerque, US | WTT | Hard | William Grant | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Loss | 4–5 | Oct 2023 | M15 Ithaca, US | WTT | Hard | Radu Mihai Papoe | 6–3, 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 4–6 | Sep 2024 | M15 Constanta, Romania | WTT | Clay | Nicholas David Ionel | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 5–6 | Oct 2024 | M25 Edmonton, Canada | WTT | Hard | Patrick Maloney | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 6–6 | Nov 2024 | M25 Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Canada | WTT | Hard | Alexis Galarneau | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 7–6 | Dec 2024 | M15 Huamantla, Mexico | WTT | Hard | Aleksandr Braynin | 6–4, 6–1 |
Doubles: 10 (5 titles, 5 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Nov 2020 | M15 Fayetteville, US | WTT | Hard | Aleksandar Kovacevic | Charles Broom Matías Soto |
6–2, 2–6, [5–10] |
| Loss | 0–2 | Oct 2021 | M15 Vero Beach, US | WTT | Clay | Ben Shelton | Johannes Ingildsen Duarte Vale |
3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Oct 2021 | M15 Tallahassee, US | WTT | Hard (i) | John McNally | Thomas Fancutt Colin Sinclair |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–2 | Dec 2021 | M15 Cancún, Mexico | WTT | Hard | Cleeve Harper | Luís Britto Marcelo Zormann |
7–5, 7–6(7–4) |
| Loss | 2–3 | Dec 2021 | M15 Cancún, Mexico | WTT | Hard | Cleeve Harper | Yannik Steinegger Tim Handel |
6–7(5–7), 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | May 2022 | M15 Vero Beach, US | WTT | Clay | Millen Hurrion | Nishesh Basavareddy Ricardo Rodríguez-Pace |
4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 3–4 | Nov 2022 | M15 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | WTT | Hard | Jesse Flores | Peter Bertran Joshua Sheehy |
6–0, 6–3 |
| Win | 4–4 | Jun 2023 | M15 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | WTT | Hard | Joshua Lapadat | Keshav Chopra Andres Martin |
4–6, 6–3, [10–4] |
| Loss | 4–5 | Jul 2023 | M25 Laval, Canada | WTT | Hard | Jonathan Sorbo | Joshua Lapadat J.J. Mercer |
1–4 ret. |
| Win | 5–5 | Oct 2024 | M25 Edmonton, Canada | WTT | Hard | Cleeve Harper | Benjamin Thomas George Alvin Nicholas Tudorica |
6–4, 6–4 |
Junior Grand Slam finals
Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2019 | Wimbledon | Grass | Govind Nanda | Jonáš Forejtek Jiří Lehečka |
5–7, 4–6 |
References
- ^ "Liam Draxl Overview". Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Liam Draxl | Rankings history | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
- ^ "Canada | ATP Rankings (Singles) Tennis | ATP Tour | Tennis".
- ^ "Liam Draxl – Men's Tennis". University of Kentucky Athletics. 31 August 2019.
- ^ "UK Athletics". 31 August 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Canadian Liam Draxl embracing pressure of NCAA's No. 1 ranking". 20 May 2021.
- ^ "The best player in NCAA tennis right now is Canadian". Tennis Canada. 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ Shelton, Jack Weaver (June 3, 2021). "Liam Draxl named ITA Player of the Year". Proquest. University Wire. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Shelton, Hunter. "Liam Draxl wins Lexington Challenger doubles championship". Kentucky Kernel. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Bianca Andreescu advances to 3rd round at National Bank Open in Toronto". 10 August 2022.
- ^ "ATP Tour - The Dream Liam Draxl Is Fulfilling". ITA #WeAreCollegeTennis. 2023-11-08. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "The Dream Liam Draxl Is Fulfilling | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "Quarters winners Liam Draxl, Gabriel Diallo dreaming of all-Canadian Challenger final". 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Liam Draxl looks to follow in Diallo's footsteps". Tennis Canada. 5 December 2024.
- ^ "'Incredible breakthrough': Local tennis star named doubles player of the year". 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Medjedovic makes Top 100 debut with Oeiras Challenger triumph". ATPTour. 12 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ @TennisBelgium (January 26, 2025). "Second challenger title for Alexander Blockx in Oeiras! He beats Liam Draxl 7-5, 6-1 in the final without facing a break point. Into the top 150 on Monday! 💪👏⬆️" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ "#NextGenATP Blockx banks Belgian history with Challenger title". 27 January 2025.
- ^ "Emilio Nava wins 2025 Sarasota Open men's singles championship at the Sarasota Sports Club". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ "Challenger Tour Weekly Recap: Sakamoto Strikes Again". lastwordonsports.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ @TennisCanada (July 14, 2025). "Crowd-favourite triumphs in Winnipeg 🤩 Liam Draxl 🇨🇦 took down top seed Alexander Blockx 🇧🇪 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to be crowned champion at the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger 🏆" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ "Draxl Claims Winnipeg National Bank Challenger Title". tennistourtalk.com. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Former college standouts Pinnington Jones, Draxl win Challenger titles". atptour.com. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Liam Draxl clinches Road to the NBO wild card". 14 July 2025.
- ^ "Liam Draxl décroche sa place en finale". La Voix de l'Est. 19 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ "Wimbledon fairy tale Holmgren continues momentum, claims Granby Challenger". 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Winning Wave: Inside Liam Draxl's Challenger breakthrough & surfing passion". 28 July 2025.
- ^ "Who qualified for the 2026 Australian Open?". ATPTour. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "Canada's Draxl outlasts Britain's Clarke in second-round qualifier at Miami Open". The Toronto Star. 18 March 2026.
- ^ "Newmarket hometown tennis star continues run of success". NewmarketToday.ca. 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2024-03-20.