You can tell a lot about the past year in sports by looking at Twitter, and as we look back on 2019 there’s one name in particular that stands out: Bianca Andreescu.
The tennis star had Canadian sports fans talking all year, thanks to several incredible performances this past season that saw her rise to the top of the tennis world.
On Tuesday, Twitter Canada released the top 10 most mentioned Canadian athletes on Twitter in 2019, and Andreescu’s name tops the list. Not surprising, considering her dominant run of success this year, which was recognized Monday when she was awarded the 2019 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s athlete of the year.
The Year of Bianca continues. @Bandreescu_ is the unanimous winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete for 2019. pic.twitter.com/6Jtz05o8GN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 9, 2019
Sports fans followed along closely as Andreescu climbed the WTA Tour ranks from No. 152 in January all the way to No. 4 in the world (she’s currently ranked fifth). Her breakout came in March when she won at Indian Wells, and a successful summer saw her grab the trophy in Toronto at the Rogers Cup and again one month later in New York at the U.S. Open, her first Grand Slam victory and the first major singles title by a Canadian.
This is the first time a woman has landed the top spot on Twitter Canada’s most-mentioned list. She’s one of three women in the top 10, along with Olympic ice dancer Tessa Virtue and fellow tennis player Genie Bouchard. New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett, selected third overall in this year’s NBA draft, was the second-most mentioned Canadian athlete, followed by NHLers Mitch Marner, Brad Marchand, and John Tavares to round out the top five. (Looks like Twitter users must have been especially active as the Maple Leafs and Bruins went head-to-head in Round 1 of the playoffs.)
Here’s the full list of 2019’s most mentioned Canadian athletes, according to Twitter Canada:
1. Bianca Andreescu (@Bandreescu_), WTA No. 5
2. RJ Barrett (@RjBarrett6), New York Knicks rookie shooting guard
3. Mitch Marner (@Marner93), Toronto Maple Leafs forward
4. Brad Marchand (@BMarch63), Boston Bruins forward
5. John Tavares (@91Tavares), Toronto Maple Leafs captain
6. Tessa Virtue (@TessaVirtue), Olympic ice dancer
7. P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1), New Jersey Devils defenceman
8. Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard), WTA No. 215
9. N’Keal Harry (@NkealHarry15), New England Patriots rookie wide receiver
10. Connor McDavid (@cmcdavid97), Edmonton Oilers captain
Joining Andreescu, Virtue, and Bouchard as the top five Canadian female athletes mentioned are golfer Brooke Henderson (@BrookeHenderson) and soccer star Christine Sinclair (@sincy12). [sidebar]
According to Twitter Canada, the Toronto Raptors were the most tweeted-about Canadian team in 2019 — and Game 6 of their historic Championship-winning run saw the most tweets of any sporting event from Canadian users this year. The Toronto Maple Leafs had the second-most mentions, followed by the Toronto Blue Jays, Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames to round out the top five.
As for international results, Twitter also released the top five most mentioned male and female athletes on Twitter worldwide, with former Raptors star and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard coming in at No. 5 — not bad, considering he’s not exactly social media savvy.
Top five mentions of 2019 worldwide: Male athletes
1. Neymar
2. Lionel Messi
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
4. LeBron James
5. Kawhi Leonard
Top five mentions of 2019 worldwide: Female athletes
1. Megan Rapinoe
2. Serena Williams
3. Naomi Osaka
4. Alex Morgan
5. Simone Biles
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