'Gaby Dabrowski Day': Ottawa tennis champ served up honour from the city
An Ottawa tennis champion returned home to a special honour from her hometown.
In a ceremony Thursday at Ottawa City Hall, Mayor Jim Watson officially declared Sept.16 as "Gaby Dabrowski Day" in the capital.
Gabriela (Gaby) Dabrowski, 29, grew up in the city’s south end and has become one of Canada’s most successful female tennis players. She was the first Canadian female to win a Grand Slam title, and represented Canada at both the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Games. In August, she and her partner Luisa Stefani of Brazil captured the doubles title at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Dabrowski hasn’t been able to return home since November 2019 due to the pandemic and her competitive schedule.
"It is so special to come back here and see people I haven’t seen in a really long time," said Dabrowski.
Dabrowski credits much of her success to having access to free and public tennis courts growing up in Ottawa. She began playing at the courts at Russell Boyd Park in the Blossom Park neighbourhood. They have since been renamed in her honour.
On Thursday, Dabrowski returned to the court to play a match with a long-time friend.
"Coming back and seeing where it all began is very humbling," said Dabrowski. "It is a really nice moment to know that people are going to enjoy those courts for many more years, and who knows if there is another Canadian star that grows up there."
Dabrowski says, "Kids may say, 'Oh wow, look at this big result,' but it is all about where you start and how do you get there."
On hand for the ceremony at City Hall were Dabrowski’s parents, Wanda and Yurek.
Her mother Wanda says, "It is a lovely moment and wonderful for the city to honour her in this way and have so many people who have been a part of her journey to be here and for Gaby to be able to thank them for their contribution to her success, it really is lovely."
Her father Yurek, who built a homemade ball-feeder in their garage so their daughter could practise, says she has always had a love for sports. "What was fun was we didn’t introduce her to tennis or sports, it was coming from her, it was easy for us to offer support… we had to learn how to play tennis!"
Dabrowski is part of a wave of Canadian tennis sensations. "I am so lucky to be part of that group. Leylah (Fernandez) and Felix (Auger-Aliassime) are amazing people, they are so kind, so hard-working."
Dabroski says it is an honour to have a day named after her, but she hopes she can encourage other people to pick up a racket and dream big.
"It is all about getting a little bit better every day. I think that is a good message for anyone picking up a racket or try to get better at anything… it is just step-by-step."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.