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 offered 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 utterly revamp the Canadian high-performance system and elevate it to new heights.
Drawing on greatest practices from around the globe geared toward bringing the most effective athletes within the nation collectively in a single coaching centre, Borfiga was the driving power behind a major overhaul of Tennis Canada’s program. He not solely employed a brand-new staff of internationally famend coaches and help workers, however he additionally labored intently with the federation’s administration staff to implement new services providing the absolute best sources for elite athletes. These quite a few adjustments in the end led Borfiga to teach 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 one of the memorable moments of my profession, thanks largely to the creation of the Nationwide Tennis Centre in Montreal, which laid the inspiration for every little thing that adopted. By counting on sturdy values comparable to 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 now we have laid will endure and proceed to take Canadian tennis even larger.”
“We’re extraordinarily happy to rejoice Louis’ induction as a Builder to the Corridor of Fame and we congratulate him on the well-deserved honour,” mentioned Bob Kirkpatrick, Chair, Tennis Canada Corridor of Fame Committee. “His distinctive contributions over a few years to our high-performance tennis system helped Canada turn 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 sturdy 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 by way of the creation in 2007 of the Nationwide Tennis Centre in Montreal and main efforts to mobilize all companions,” mentioned Guillaume Marx, Vice President of Excessive Efficiency, Tennis Canada. “His easy but thorough and direct method to growth 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 huge 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 distinguished 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, changing into the primary Canadian participant in historical past to win a Grand Slam singles title. As well as, the foundations established by Borfiga performed a vital 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 enjoying profession on the age of twenty-two to turn into a coach on the Monte-Carlo Nation Membership, the place he was Björn Borg’s coaching associate earlier than becoming a member of the FFT, the place he contributed to the event of quite a few famend gamers comparable to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gaël Monfils, Gilles Simon, Nicolas Mahut, and Julien Benneteau, to call just a few.
Louis Borfiga shall be honoured on the Nationwide Financial institution Open offered 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 purpose to acknowledge his immense contribution to Canadian tennis and rejoice the profound influence he has had on the event of younger skills in Canada.
