New coach for comebacking Canadian tennis player Aleksandra Wozniak in 2016

Aleksandra Wozniak's return to action last August, after nearly a year on the shelf, was low key, with a debut in Winnipeg and appearances at several other smaller ITF events in North America.

But when 2016 begins, the 28-year-old from Blainville, Que. will be back in earnest.

Eh Game has learned that Quebec City's Pierre-Luc Tessier, who was named the new tournament director of the WTA Tour event in Quebec City in September after longtime boss Jack Hérisset retired, is Wozniak's new coach.

An official annoncement has yet to be made, although the two are currently working a training block in Florida.

Tessier, who turns 38 in January, was the coach of Wozniak's longtime rival and Fed Cup teammate Stéphanie Dubois from 2011-2013. He also briefly worked with American player Maria Sanchez. In addition to his duties with the Coupe Banque Nationale tournament, the Brossard, Que. native also works with some of the young junior boys in the Canadian developmental system.

Wozniak had been working with former Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat of France in 2014 even though she suffered through shoulder issues most of the season before finally having surgery in the fall. Tauziat was reassigned by Tennis Canada, and currently works with one of the most promising juniors in the Canadian system – arguably one of the best 15-year-old players in the world – in Ontario's Bianca Andreescu.

Andreescu is in the final of both the singles and doubles at the ITF junior Grade 1 event in Yucatan, Mexico this week.

Wozniak, who reached a career high of No. 21 back in 2009, played five tournaments during her comeback this year. But she didn't use up any of the "injury-protection" privileges a player who has been out for an extended period of time can take advantage of.

The Canadian can use her special injury ranking of No. 108 to enter a total of eight WTA events, although she has to use them up by the end of August, 2016 (the date she returned this year) or lose them. That can include two Grand Slams, and that ranking is right on the bubble to get Wozniak straight into the Australian Open in January.

In the women's 128-player draw, the top 108 are direct acceptances. But in a tie with whatever player is also ranked No. 108 at the deadline – a true ranking – Wozniak would lose out. She will have to hope for one or two no-shows to be safe. History indicates there's a fairly strong chance of that. If not, there is the qualifying.

Wozniak also likely would be able to get into the small tuneup event in Hobart, Tasmania the previous week with that ranking.

With Canada's Fed Cup tie against Belarus in Quebec City coming up in February, right after the Australian Open – and with Genie Bouchard perenially an uncertainty and none of the other Canadian women doing anything noteworthy in singles at the moment – a healthy Wozniak could prove a welcome addition.