American No. 1 Taylor Fritz’s next opponent at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships is 23-year-old Gabriel Diallo, playing in the main draw at SW19 for the first time in his career. Although he plays with the Canadian flag next to his name, it would be a mistake to put Diallo squarely in the Canadian box.
Born to an Guinean father and an Ukrainian mother, Gabriela Diallo has one of the most unique perspectives when it comes to heritage. To make things more fascinating, the Canadian’s mother is also a former handball player, instilling the sense of competitiveness in him.
The Montreal-born World No. 40 opened up about his family background in a recent interview with Roland Garros, shedding light on how his mother and father’s characteristics play a role in shaping him as a tennis player.
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“I think the character and competitiveness, I get it from my mother because she played sports at a very high level. And she's just a fiery person in general,” he said.
“Maybe a little bit too much character outside of sports. So I think that's where my dad stepped in. So I think I can part ways a little bit. But yeah, for sure, you feel like you have a little bit of both," he added.
At the same time, Diallo admitted that the mixed heritage made him feel a little 'confused' back in his childhood before he learned to embrace his origins.
“But I found myself also sometimes when I was younger, you kind of feel not lost, but maybe confused. Because you're not quite 100 percent one or you're not quite 100 percent the other."
“And I remember growing up, it would confuse me a little bit. But I just learned to embrace my heritage and my origins. And I'm just as proud to be Ukrainian as Guinean and represent the Canadian flag,” he said.
Gabriel Diallo also has spent time in the USA, attending the University of Kentucky and learning his tennis from head coach Cedric Kauffmann while leading his team to their first NCAA finals. The Canadian had nothing but praise for his college days, saying:
"I think it just gave me much more structure in my game. I think going into college, I was very flashy, could produce a lot of good things. And then do some things that were not so good."
“So I think my college coach did a really good job, just kind of introducing me to the fundamentals and then the rest. Yeah, I managed to have a very nice progression throughout the years.”
"He's a bot, but he's good" - Taylor Fritz on Gabriel Diallo ahead of Wimbledon clash
In the interview, Taylor Fritz also shared his thoughts on Gabriel Diallo, praising the Canadian for his serve and his all-round game.
“We say 'bot' as a compliment. He's a bot, but he's good,” Fritz said.
“Obviously he can play. He can play from the back of the court. I practiced with him. He honestly has a very well-rounded game and can do a bit of everything,” he added.
Diallo, who defeated Daniel Altmaier in the first round at Wimbledon, will reach the third round of a Slam for only the second time in his career should he beat Fritz on Tuesday.
