Diary of a Region Chair

May 9, 2026

Summer clubs are enjoying opening festivities this month, with teaching pros and practice partners leading the on-court games and mixers. At the Burlington TC today, these enthusiastic leaders kept the courts hopping with members of all ages. Kyrylo Kudyma is the highly-respected tennis director at the club. Andres Casteleyn achieved Club Pro 1 certification last year, with experience and expertise developing rapidly alongside such a mentor.

One of the many benefits of learning tennis at a young age is the leadership opportunities that come along with it. It’s very helpful when club members encourage our teenage players to pursue activities that prepare them for instructor certification.

May 6, 2026

The Lakeshore League held its annual Captains Meeting tonight, with a wide range of clubs from throughout Halton and Mississauga being represented. It’s the second time around under the leadership of Alex Bittermann and Greg Kirsten of the Halton TA. The happy and relaxed atmosphere was a reflection of their success last season, and of the benefits that flow from inter- club team competition. There are 44 teams across five divisions and a men’s premier league, with matches scheduled from May through September.

The event was hosted by Mrakovic Fine Foods in Oakville. It’s a family business, committed to quality, service and to community connections … thus a perfect fit for sponsorship of the Lakeshore League.

May 2, 2026

Congratulations to Susan Qi of the Grimsby TC on the completion of the Wheelchair Tennis Instructor Workshop with Tennis Canada today. Susan is a Club Pro 1, and always eager to learn new ways to share her love of tennis. It was an honour for all the coaches to be led by Kai Schrameyer and to learn of the growth of this part of our game.

Many clubs have expressed interest in offering wheelchair tennis in their communities. Guidance and support are available by contacting Ely Schwartz at the OTA office.

April 26, 2026

It’s a privilege to witness a U9 Rookie tournament, certain to put a smile on every face. The young players can be justly proud of their tennis acumen, but also of their comportment and sportsmanship. They have every detail just-so, from greeting each other at the start to shaking hands at the end. Playing on 60’ courts with orange balls is a lot of fun!

This Sunday afternoon saw Hamilton councillor Craig Cassar on hand to watch the play and present some awards alongside club president Andrew Zucker and ATC director of operations Mustapha Jamal.

It was the final week for the indoor season at the club, so they made it a Grand Finale by hosting an OTA U18 provincial circuit event, plus U12 and U9 rookie events, plus the club’s men’s and women’s doubles championships. The rookie finals were first up on Sunday, followed by the championship matches for the U18 singles and the club doubles. Lots of spectators, lots of cheering, lots of snacks and treats at Aila’s café. The visiting players certainly appreciated the attention to detail, from the towels and sports drink presented as their match was introduced, to the very attractive souvenir trophies. A large volunteer contingent of club members supported the event logistics. Well done, Ancaster!

April 26, 2026

This was the scene at Pearson International’s Terminal 3 today, as a very happy group of players from Milton Winter TC prepared to depart to Florida.   They’re accompanied by Nieves (Nina) Fetahagic and Emilia Ahmadi, coaches with the Tennis Clubs of Canada program at MWTC.

Their destination is the IMG Academy in Bradenton, where the players will have a full residential camp experience for a week. This is the second year for the partner program. Players qualify for the trip, and earn credits toward the tuition fee, by playing in TCC Tour tournament events throughout the winter and a finale called the Discovery Open in late March. The event is designed to bring players together through an experience akin to a pro tournament, with player accreditation; music, snacks and games in the players-only lounge; press conferences conducted by the players themselves; souvenir shirts; and a minimum of three matches for U12 U14 and U16 players.

On arrival in Florida, they’ll be met by transportation to the IMG Academy, where they’ll have room and board and tennis for a week.  The varied program has a wide variety of activities and learning opportunities, with sessions on the mental side of tennis along with fitness routines, drills and match play.  Social events and a beach night make it all the more memorable.

April 23, 2026

This Thursday evening was the occasion for the 35th annual Sport Volunteer Awards in the city of Hamilton. The outstanding event was held in a historic building called the Liuna Station – a classically styled railroad station repurposed as a beautiful event space. Over 300 volunteers from throughout sport in Hamilton were guests of Sport Hamilton, including two tables of volunteers from the city’s community tennis clubs.

A variety of awards were presented over the course of the evening, with recognition to coaches, officials, and volunteers of all ages from many sports. Together, it demonstrated the degree to which sport brings us together, and the strong bonds of community created by our sport endeavours.

Tennis tends to ‘hide our light under a basket’ much of the time, but we’re hoping to start telling our story and showcasing our stars next year.

April 15, 2026

Kids need groups! They begin their tennis journey with some introductory lessons , but then need court time to practice and play with others of similar levels of interest and experience. The Niagara Academy of Tennis in Vineland has been putting young players through their paces at all stages of their development for over 25 years. This spring, there are about 60 young players each week, working in groups to fit their level. Sessions fill the courts from 4:00 to 9:00 three times a week, then again on Saturday mornings.

Walter Garcia is the tennis director, leading a team that includes Ray Sivakumar, Dave Boland, Joel Cruz and Dominika Zuzanska.

These beautiful kids play on Wednesday evenings, while adult players are running through cardio tennis drills on an adjacent court. We’re filled with admiration for their solid groundstrokes and speedy footwork. How fortunate they are to learn tennis at such a young age!

April 8, 2026

The early days of spring have us all reaching for our racquets and tennis shoes, eager for the first outdoor games.  It’s helpful to test things out with some warmup clinics during these in-between weeks.  The Niagara Academy of Tennis in Vineland answered the call with a Cardio Tennis series on Wednesday evenings.  Each week, coaches Ray Sivakumar and Dominika Zuzanska put players through one of two hour-long sessions, with an abundance of ball-striking and just the right amount of running.

They look ready!

April 4, 2026

Thanks to Vittoria Wikston at Sport Niagara for her ‘Spring into Sport’ message :

April has a way of reawakening more than just the landscape; it re-energizes our sense of possibility. As the days grow longer, sport reminds us of its quiet power: to connect, to heal, and to inspire forward motion. Whether it’s the first outdoor practice of the season, a return to play after a long winter, or the simple joy of movement, this is the time of year when momentum builds. Together, we step into a season defined not just by competition, but by community, resilience, and the shared pursuit of something better.

For community tennis clubs, this involves an abundance of volunteer work to prepare the courts and surrounding areas for the season. These photos are at Welland TC, and echo similar scenes throughout SWR. Eight courts make for a lot of windscreens, with hundreds of tipties fastened with precision, all ends clipped and collected.

Meanwhile, the inside crew has the clubhouse looking ready-to-go, and all last year’s old tennis balls packaged up and ready to go to Sobeys for the RecyleBalls collection.

March 25, 2026

Today was the annual OTA/TPA Symposium, the day each year when all Ontario coaches are invited to gather at the Sobeys Centre to listen-and-learn, to visit with old friends and to make new acquaintances.

A very special guest presenter was Martin Laurendeau, newly appointed as Tennis Canada’s Head of Men’s Tennis. He illustrated the nature of the professional men’s game with numerous videos of recent matches, showing how the modern game is compressed by power and time. Young players who aspire to top-level play should be training for aggressive play in order to gain confidence in tough situations. Developing consistency in high-risk play is the goal.

Nicolas Perrotte is the National Fitness Head Coach at Tennis Canada. Based in Montreal, he plays a key role in the high-performance development of our top tennis players. He spoke of educating young players to “love the situation” of aggressive play, and the need to develop the footwork required to respond and recover quickly. The goal is to get used to hard-and-fast from a young age, celebrating power and speed of response in practice sessions.

Rachel Gould has vast experience in introducing tennis to new players of all ages, and guiding them to become passionate tennis-players-for-life. Tennis Canada’s new FIRST SET program has all the elements needed for any situation. Rachel’s demonstration showcased the content elements of the program, but – most importantly – illustrated the critical coaching attribute of relentless enthusiasm and energy, displayed by body language, smiles and movement. Rachel is a powerhouse, and a fabulous role model for women and girls in particular, but also for all coaches.

The TPA is the home base for Canada’s certified tennis coaches. It’s a brand that all are proud to wear, and the trusted resource for families and players looking for qualified coaches. Start your search HERE.

March 20, 2026

Congratulations to Jasmine Li, winner of the Under 18 singles and doubles in the Yonex Ontario Indoor Championships at Sobeys Stadium.

At just 15 years of age, Jasmine won five rounds by decisive scores … including matches with the #1, #2 and #3 seeds.  She also combined with Charlize Yu Ching Wong for the doubles title.

Jasmine and her family live in Grimsby, where she’s enrolled at West Niagara Secondary School.  But it’s hardly a normal school life.  Having been identified as a high-level talent by national coaches from a very young age, Jasmine has been pursuing development opportunities on the international stage for several years.  At all levels of tennis, “like seeks out like” … for practice and coaching, for competition, and for community.  At the highest levels of our sport, young players from dozens of countries travel the world to make connections in specialized tennis academies and in ITF tournaments.  Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts make it necessary for Jasmine to miss the Indoor Nationals next week, but we wish her well as she puts yet more stamps on her passport.

March 17 & 19, 2026

The Rogers Tennis Dome at Ancaster Tennis Club was the place to be on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons during the March break.  Tennis Director Mustapha Jamal teamed up with Sisters in Sync executive director, Joelle Kabisoso, to provide an introduction to tennis for girls and young women from throughout the city of Hamilton.

The on-court program was delivered by coaches Mirabella Bellavia, Sue Bye, Casey Whitton and Ula Kolodziej, with support from Mike Kool.  The players were new to tennis, but brought truly inspiring energy and enthusiasm to the event.  Mustapha and Joelle are actively seeking ways and means for providing more in-depth tennis experiences for them in the near future.

Check out the Ancaster Tennis Club’s website and Instagram link for more photos.

March 6, 2026

Congratulations to national coach, Joel Cruz, on his leadership of Team Canada for the Wheelchair World Team Cup in Lima, Peru on March 2-6. This was the Americas section, with winners advancing to the final round in September. Canada was in a group with Argentina, Uruguay and Guatemala; group two included Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru. Canada lost a close match in the semi-finals to Team Colombia, who went on to win the final.

Wheelchair Tennis is gaining in popularity as more coaches become trained and equipment becomes more readily available. Clubs and coaches with an interest in facilitating wheelchair tennis can reach Joel at his email. Practice sessions are often held at the Grimsby Tennis Club and spectators are welcome.

Read the feature articles by Francesco Tosini on the Tennis Canada website HERE and HERE.

Read more about ITF wheelchair tennis in this column by “The Catcher on The Line”.

March 1, 2026

Congratulations to Abbey Crump, winner of an OTA Fair Play Award at the 2026 Ontario U12 Indoor Championships. This honour is bestowed on athletes who embrace the joy of the challenge, and who balance the desire to win with respect for fellow competitors and adherence to the rules. These values can be applied to life off the court as well.

Abbey is a proud member of the Burlington TC, where she plays on the ICTA Junior team, and is training this winter at Joshua Creek TC. After competing in the Ontario U12 Championships at Sobeys Stadium in early March (playing in 6 singles matches and winning four), she then advanced to the Canadian U12 Nationals in Calgary, where she played in 8 singles matches. What a great experience!

February 21, 2026

Congratulations to Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani, winners of the doubles title at the WTATour 1000 event in Dubai.  The win puts Gabriela in the #2 spot on the WTATour doubles rankings, behind only Elise Bertens. It’s the sixth WTATour 1000 title of her illustrious career.

Luisa Stefani is from Brazil, and she and Gabriela have been frequent partners over the years, including winning the National Bank Open in Montreal in 2021.  

Read the Tennis Canada feature by Francesco Tosini HERE.

February 16, 2026

The WTA Tour 1000 tournament in Doha, Qatar resulted in another milestone for Victoria Mboko, as she became the 7th Canadian player to earn a top-10 professional world ranking. Vicky (#10) had wins over Elena Rybakina (#3) and Mirra Andreeva (#7) as well as former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, before losing to Karolina Muchova (#11) in the final match.

She joins an illustrious list that includes Carling Bassett-Seguso, Eugenie Bouchard and Bianca Andreescu on the WTA Tour; and Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime on the ATP Tour. Felix is currently ranked #7, putting the Canadian flag on the top-10 of both tours this week.

Read Giri Nathan’s insightful article about Vicky – The Whole Deal – HERE.

February 8, 2026

Felix Auger-Aliassime was cheering on his Davis Cup teammates from afar, winning the ATP250 event in Montpellier France for the second time. It’s not often that players are able to repeat as champions, and this one came with other milestones for Felix.

His 9 professional titles are the most ever by a Canadian player, surpassing the 8 titles won by Milos Raonic. He has 89 match wins on indoor courts this decade, more than any other player. And his ATP ranking is now #6 in the world. Congratulations, Felix!

Read Francesco Tosini’s story for Tennis Canada HERE.

The ATP Tour match report is HERE.

And the Open Occitanie ‘King Felix’ report HERE.

And if you enjoy technical analysis, check out Jeff Sackmann’s FAA piece HERE.

February 7, 2026

Somehow, Davis Cup always turns out to be ultra-dramatic, and no one knows it better than our captain. Frank Dancevic played 19 times for Team Canada, from 2002 to 2016, and has served as team captain since 2017. But he can still be surprised at how team play unfolds contrary to expectations.

This weekend, Vancouver was the site of Team Canada’s tie with Team Brazil to determine who would advance in the Davis Cup World Group. The hero of the day turned out to be Liam Draxl, who opened with a win in the first singles match and then was called upon to win it all for Canada in the fifth and deciding match. In order for that to happen, Gabriel Diallo had to extend the tie by winning a third-set tiebreak in the fourth match. At no point did a victory for Canada look like a sure thing. The players were heroic!

Next step: The weekend of September 18-20 will see Team Canada host Team France, the winner advancing to the championship round in November in Bologna Italy. Tennis Canada will announce the venue before long, and an enthusiastic crowd will be a big help for our team. Let’s SAVE THE DATE and plan to be there.

Read Pete Borkowski’s “great escape” stories HERE and HERE.

And the Davis Cup website story and photos HERE.

February 2, 2026

Victoria Mboko woke up this morning as a top-15 player, with a ranking of #13 on the WTA Tour list.  It’s quite breathtaking to see the company she’s in on that list.

For the past two weeks, the eyes of the tennis world have been on Melbourne, where Vicky reached the 4th round at the Australian Open.  It was her first time in the second week of a major, and her first time to play Aryna Sabalenka – the highest-ranked player in the world – pushing her to a score of 6-1 7-6 before bowing out.

Read Pete Borkowski’s feature article for Tennis Canada HERE.

And read Carole Bouchard’s story on “The Tennis Sweet Spot” HERE.

Check out February 2, 2025 : Mboko Then & Now

February 2, 2026

These bright green and yellow bins will soon be showing up at clubs across SouthWest Region. They’re the first step in a long process that collects old tennis balls for eventual shipment to a highly-specialized facility in the USA. Together it’s called RecycleBalls. Check it out HERE. And read about the volunteer initiative in Canada HERE.

Leading the way in SouthWest Region is Youngs Sportsplex, a public amenity in Welland that is managed by Oak View Group. General Manager Eric Bradey is a Brock University graduate, as is Tennis Director Marko Petkovic. Their combined efforts are keeping the tennis courts filled and the junior program growing year-by-year. Tennis balls are recycled through the programs until they’re no longer usable, and now there’s a solution for those at the end of the line.

Thanks to persistent volunteer effort by Els Swart and Gene Kiernicki in Welland and Carol MacSween in Niagara-on-the-Lake, these bins are now available for all clubs in SWR. Email Rosemary Goodwin for details.

February 1, 2026

Food, gifts and friends – all in abundance – gathered today at Rosedale TC in Hamilton to celebrate tennis-pro-extraordinaire Mike Kool and his 40 years of service to the club and the community.

“Best tennis coach in the world” …. “doing it all so the club would thrive, so that anyone who wants to play can play” … “helping so many to realize their personal dreams” … “developing good humans with good values”. These were among the bountiful accolades shared by Mike’s many fans and admirers, while a memory book was being passed from hand to hand and all sorts of tales and tributes being written at length.

Mike made Rosedale an open-door for the Hamilton community. When groups needed help with events (or with anything, actually), he welcomed them with a smile and a response along the lines of “the answer is Yes; what’s the question?” Beyond the rave reviews from the players who became champions and the coaches who learned to mirror his ways, Mike’s defining quality was his humility and avoidance of the spotlight. With him, it was always about the tennis … about those on the court … never about him.

On this Sunday afternoon, he couldn’t escape it. The love poured out. The legacy will live on.

Thanks to Bonnie Pataran and Karen Duncan,
the elves who make the magic happen for Rosedale events.

January 31, 2026

For over 25 years, young players on the OTA junior circuit have traveled down the QEW to Victoria Avenue in Vineland, for tournaments at the Niagara Academy of Tennis. Though the names and faces are continually changing, the rite of passage is just as it’s always been.

The club hosts OTA events almost every weekend, with certification clinics for coaches from time to time as well. Today it was a Rookie event for four age groups. Travelling to the event from the Joshua Creek TC in Oakville were Abigail Zhou and Doreen Mao. Tournament director Dominika Zazenska was impressed by their demeanour and attention to detail. These youngsters have court protocol and tennis courtesy down pat, and are a great credit to our sport, to their clubs and coaches, and to their families.

Do yourself a favour and watch some matches at a club near you. The SWR schedule is HERE.

January 29, 2026

Most clubs have at their core a structure of groups organized for the purpose of regular games.  Club members of a similar playing level and available at a given time, form themselves into groups led by a coordinator.  It’s a significant effort to manage a group, with almost double the number of weekly players required to form a stable group over the course of a season.  Thus, if it’s a 4-court game, a database of 25-30 players will be needed.  A 2-court game would need 12-15 players.  From this list, the coordinators find a way to have the exact number of players required each week.

The success of the group is a combined effort in every way.  Coordinators are skilful, diligent, diplomatic, consistent, persistent and kind.  The players are dependable, considerate, thoughtful and appreciative.  Put together, the result is both the magic and the power of tennis.

At the Aldershot TC today, we caught some of the 16 players gathering for the Thursday morning 11:30 game.  They have a Tuesday game as well and the players are quick to express their appreciation to their coordinators.  Hats off to Tina Di Clemente, Linda Lipic, Anne Luxon and Dot Knight, as well as to all the players who arrive on time despite tough weather conditions.

January 11, 2026

We’ve begun the new year with a mega-dose of nostalgia, as Milos Raonic announced his retirement from professional tennis today.

It’s been exactly 15 years since his breakthrough at the 2011 Australian Open, earning entry into the main draw of a Slam for the first time. He was the #16 qualifier (of 16 total), with players such as Grigor Dimitrov and Frank Dancevic ahead of him on the list of those with three wins in the qualifying tournament. The 20-year-old seized his chance, winning three more matches and beating two seeded players before running out of steam against David Ferrer in the 4th round. Three weeks later, he won the ATP tournament at San Jose. His ranking soared from #152 to #37 in a month, and the tennis landscape in Canada changed forever.

Enjoy some of the tributes and some of the memories :

sportsnet.ca

atptour.com

tenniscanada.com

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