Montreal-winning still looks great for Gabrila Dabrovski, but it is not all and it used to happen like the end.
Since its fight with cancer last year, a tennis racket has been swinging to a new meaning.
“Tennis actually seems that it is no longer a matter of number 1 in life,” Dabrovski said. “If it was taken away from me yesterday? Yes, I will be sad. But if I am healthy, for me, it all really matters.
“There are big problems in life than winning tennis matches.”
Last December, Ottawa’s 33 -year -old doubles star revealed months after the fact that he had two surgery to treat breast cancer after a diagnosis in April.
Only a few close friends and family came to know about their fight, Dabrovski captured a mixed doubles bronze medal for Canada with Felix Agar-Aliasim at the last summer Paris Olympics and claimed the WTA Final title with his long-time partner Erin Rauliff.
When she returned from her surgery, every service and volley felt like a bonus.
“Everything was such, wow, it is a different experience compared to what it was in the past, which do not waste any ability you have, maximize the game, best you can,” Dabrovski said in a video interview of Ottawa, where he received the key to the city on Thursday. “Now I’m doing the best because I want, because I want to do it, because I have to do, and it was a very big innings for me.
“Even though there is an injury to the loss, they definitely do not hurt as before, which is good. And the victory still looks great, and it is best to be able to share them with the people around me, because we have done a lot. I know I have done a lot, but they have passed a lot.”
New Zealand’s Dabrovski and Rutlif won 2023 US Open and last year’s Wimbledon reached the finals.
She will be one of the top seeds in the women’s doubles tournament of the National Bank Open, which began in Montreal on Sunday, will mark the first action of the number 8-ranked Dabrovski on the soil of the house after public with her story.
Dabrowski still manages side effects from radiation, surgery and long -term hormone therapy, but credits his medical team to keep it in the top shape of how he eats, sleeps, sleeps, trains.
Further schemes to re-recurring better than jet lag, which “makes me hard to use me,” is another adjustment that he is doing on a terrible, travel-oriented circuit.
The season has been particularly difficult because Dabrovski has struggled with rib injury since February, a disease that has drove her away from the court more than the diagnosis of cancer a year ago.
He and Rautalife won the Stuttgart Open in April, but Dabrovski later withdrew from several tournaments including the French Open in May before taking timely action for Wimbledon.
The second seeded pair did “better than expected” under circumstances, losing to the final champions Elis Martens and Veronica Kudematova in a tight quarter -final match.
Dabrovsky said, “I am proud of my last few months, given what I am doing,”, who said she is playing at about 80 percent capacity. “In fact, continuing to increase volume in gym and court, trying to balance the healing component, but without much work I can disrupt the stage of that final type of treatment.
“I feel that even though I am probably going to the National Bank Open, I still have a week to get more training in the tank, and then perhaps some practice match with Erin … she will fit the match and she can take me. That’s fine.”
Reunion with Felix?
Dabrovski is expecting a team with Agar-Aleiasim in the US Open Mixed Doubles tournament in August, although he is not sure that he will get a chance. They are among 25 teams in the admission list, although only 16 will play.
Most of the top stars of tennis-Aryana Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alkraj and Jannik Sinner, have also entered teams in the revived tournaments, which will be before single action and US will provide a prize of $ 1 million.
Eight teams with the best combined single ranked will be automatically qualified, and the Usta will select the next eight Duos, which means that some doubles experts, such as Dabrovski, can be excluded from the doubles incident.
“This lends itself to the definition of the exhibition,” Dabrovski said about the format. “I think they have clearly increased the prize money and all this, I think it’s amazing. But at the same time, if you have no top doubles players in that draw, I don’t think it should be called a mixed doubles championship and you should win a Grand Slam Trophy that win the event.”
This report of Canadian Press was first published on 25 July 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, Canadian Press
