Tennis Canada introduced Tuesday morning that former Vice President of Excessive Efficiency at Tennis Canada, Louis Borfiga, shall be inducted into the Canadian Tennis Corridor of Fame this 12 months in recognition of his excellent contributions to the event of tennis in Canada.
Initially from Monaco, Borfiga labored at Tennis Canada for over 15 years (2006–2021) and performed a key function within the conceptualization and implementation of the Nationwide Tennis Centre introduced by Rogers in Montreal, at IGA Stadium. Having led an identical program throughout his tenure on the French Tennis Federation (FFT), the French coach leveraged his experience to fully revamp the Canadian high-performance system and elevate it to new heights.
Drawing on finest practices from world wide geared toward bringing one of the best athletes within the nation collectively in a single coaching centre, Borfiga was the driving pressure behind a big overhaul of Tennis Canada’s program. He not solely employed a brand-new staff of internationally famend coaches and assist workers, however he additionally labored intently with the federation’s administration staff to implement new amenities providing the very best assets for elite athletes. These quite a few adjustments finally led Borfiga to educate a number of younger skills who later distinguished themselves on the worldwide stage, together with Félix Auger-Aliassime, Milos Raonic, Eugenie Bouchard, and Bianca Andreescu.
“It’s a nice honour for me to have been chosen as a brand new member of the Canadian Tennis Corridor of Fame,” says Borfiga. “My time in Canada was undoubtedly probably the most memorable moments of my profession, thanks largely to the creation of the Nationwide Tennis Centre in Montreal, which laid the muse for every part that adopted. By counting on robust values reminiscent of ambition, humility and staff spirit, we have been in a position to collectively construct a brand new program and efficiency tradition that propelled the nation to heights as soon as perceived as inconceivable to achieve. I’m privileged to have witnessed this success, and my fondest want is that the foundations we’ve laid will endure and proceed to take Canadian tennis even larger.”
“We’re extraordinarily happy to have a good time Louis’ induction as a Builder to the Corridor of Fame and we congratulate him on the well-deserved honour,” stated Bob Kirkpatrick, Chair, Tennis Canada Corridor of Fame Committee. “His distinctive contributions over a few years to our high-performance tennis system helped Canada change into a prime tennis nation and contributed to the continued success of our gamers on the worldwide stage.”
“Louis Borfiga revolutionized the Canadian tennis excessive efficiency panorama, placing Canada firmly on the worldwide map,” added Gavin Ziv, CEO, Tennis Canada. “With a transparent imaginative and prescient and unwavering robust values, he established a sturdy construction that fostered a tradition of profitable and reaching unprecedented heights. His dedication and outcomes have cemented his legacy in Canada, elevating the bar on excellence and growing champions. We thank him for what he did for Canadian tennis.”
“When Louis [Borfiga] arrived from the French Federation, he introduced a profitable tradition to Canadian tennis and helped set up a world-class system and construction with our companions, notably via the creation in 2007 of the Nationwide Tennis Centre in Montreal and main efforts to mobilize all companions,” stated Guillaume Marx, Vice President of Excessive Efficiency, Tennis Canada. “His easy but thorough and direct strategy to improvement was very inspiring. By surrounding himself with world-class coaches and by partnering with athletes, households, private coaches, and distinctive companions, he helped us dream massive and obtain historic outcomes. We’re very grateful for his excellent contributions to our sport and are delighted and proud to see him inducted into the Canadian Tennis Corridor of Fame.”
Borfiga, who was additionally awarded the celebrated Order of Canada in 2022 for his distinctive contributions to the evolution of Canadian tennis, has led the nation’s athletes to a variety of successes by no means seen in Canadian historical past. Notable examples embody Andreescu’s iconic victory on the 2019 US Open, the place she triumphed over Serena Williams, turning into the primary Canadian participant in historical past to win a Grand Slam singles title. As well as, the foundations established by Borfiga performed an important function in Canada’s first-ever victories on the Davis Cup in 2022 and the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023.
Canada additionally benefited from Borfiga’s experience and successes overseas. Borfiga began out as an expert participant, reaching his highest rating of world No. 308 in 1975. He ended his taking part in profession on the age of twenty-two to change into a coach on the Monte-Carlo Nation Membership, the place he was Björn Borg’s coaching companion earlier than becoming a member of the FFT, the place he contributed to the event of quite a few famend gamers reminiscent of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gaël Monfils, Gilles Simon, Nicolas Mahut, and Julien Benneteau, to call a number of.
Louis Borfiga shall be honoured on the Nationwide Financial institution Open introduced by Rogers in Montreal this summer season throughout a particular ceremony on Centre Court docket at IGA Stadium on Wednesday, August 7, at first of the night session. This occasion will intention to acknowledge his immense contribution to Canadian tennis and have a good time the profound influence he has had on the event of younger skills in Canada.
