Biography

Over his outstanding 27-year career, Daniel Nestor made an unprecedented smash as the most decorated tennis player in Canadian history. Born in the former Yugoslavia in 1972, Daniel moved to Toronto at the age of four. When he was seven years old, Daniel’s father gave him a two-dollar tennis racket and taught him to play with his older brother in a local park. While attending Earl Haig Secondary school, Daniel honed his talent as a member of the school’s APGA (Academic Program for Gifted Athletes), competing in his first Canadian Open in 1989 at the age of 16. Shortly after turning pro,19-year-old Daniel upset former world No. 1 Stefan Edberg of Sweden in a thrilling match at the 1992 Davis Cup in Vancouver. Ranking a distant 238th in singles and serving as the youngest member of the Canadian team, this stunning victory marked the beginning of his electrifying ascent to the top of the sport.
 
A left-hander with an explosively powerful serve, Daniel Nestor gave up singles play in 2001 to become one of the greatest doubles players in the history of tennis. Calm and collected under pressure, his quiet demeanour belied tactical skill, strategic focus and competitive drive. Over the course of his career, Daniel became the first male tennis player to win every Grand Slam tournament, every Masters 1000 tournament, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour Finals, and an Olympic Gold Medal. A 12-time Grand Slam champion, Daniel won eight titles in men’s doubles, including the Australian Open (2002), French Open (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012), Wimbledon (2008, 2009) and US Open (2004). He also claimed four titles in mixed doubles, tallying three at the Australian Open (2007, 2011, 2014) and one at Wimbledon (2013). The first doubles player to win 1000 career matches in ATP history, Daniel also earned the third most doubles titles (91) in Open Era history. A member of Canada’s Davis Cup team for a record-setting 25 years, he also earned the most ties (53), and most wins (48) for Canada in that highly regarded competition. Perhaps his most celebrated achievement, Daniel and partner Sébastien Lareau became the first  Canadians to win an Olympic medal in tennis after claiming Gold in men’s doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
 
Since retiring from competition in 2018, Daniel Nestor has made the most of his platform as a Canadian tennis icon to support charitable causes and help children get involved in the sport. Organizing exhibition matches and player’s clinics as part of the Double Up for Mental Health event to support the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health, he has hosted the Daniel Nestor Celebrity Charity Event, a doubles tournament that raises funds for Toronto’s North York General Hospital and Tennis Canada. Daniel is now working on his own Foundation that will support underprivileged youth through tennis. Serving up unmatched excitement while putting Canadian tennis on the map, Daniel’s defining contributions to the sport continue to resonate across the country, inspiring generations of young athletes to pick up a tennis racket and dream big.