During their joint press conference on Thursday, Eugène Lapierre and Valérie Tétreault took turns referring to the family spirit that reigns in the Montreal offices of Tennis Canada. Bonds woven so tightly that the first decided to leave his duties as director of the National Bank Open to the second, with complete peace of mind.
Rumored on Wednesday evening, the news was confirmed Thursday at a press conference held at Tennis Canada’s head office.
After 21 years as the big boss of the event, Eugène Lapierre will tackle a new challenge: to increase the practice of tennis in Quebec.
He explained the reasons for his departure in all serenity, without the tremolos in his voice that one would have expected. “I don’t have too much nostalgia, sadness or anything. I will continue to work on another case that is very close to my heart, I will be close to the gang, then my door is opened. They know they can come see me anytime. »
In particular, he wants to contribute to the development of tennis by improving year-round access to courts in Quebec.
“For several years, we have developed the sport well at Tennis Canada. But above all, from what we see of the results, we have developed the top of the pyramid well. […] We have young champions who will carry tennis for years on the international scene,” Mr. Lapierre first noted. “On the other hand, we are not there yet on the participation side,” he continued. “When we compare with [d’autres pays], we don’t have a big turnout. In this sense, we have probably worked miracles. »
Mr. Lapierre also clarified that he had been thinking about the possibility of giving up his place for a few years already. “I thought to myself, after 20 years in charge of the tournament, that would be a good number. But 20 years, it coincided with COVID. So in 2020, there was no tournament, and I thought it would be a shame to stop at that time. In 2021, a half tournament, or even a quarter. It wasn’t terrible. I had started thinking that 2022 would probably be my last year. »
He also considers handing over the reins of the tournament to a seasoned and “professional” team. “We have good people. It’s a solid team, it’s a family. We have a lot of fun organizing the tournament. »
Take over
At the head of this team will now be Valérie Tétreault, a former professional player who retired in 2010 and who joined Tennis Canada in 2011 in the role of communications coordinator, before being named director of this service in 2018. .
“Tennis has been at the heart of my life since I was little. […] It’s really a consecration that I could not even have dreamed of, I believe: to become director of a tournament that I have loved deeply since I was seven or eight years old, “said Ms.me Tétreault, who also called her colleagues a “second family”.
“My aspirations for me,” she also said, “is to be able to stay almost as long as Eugene. […] We’re going to take it one day at a time before we start thinking about 22, because it makes you feel a bit dizzy…”
Eugène Lapierre will also still be there to guide the first steps of the one whose talents as a communicator he discovered somewhat by chance. “During the tournament in 2010, major works were announced here, and I thought it would be fun to have a player. I had seen Valérie, I didn’t know her very well, but […] I found that she could line up a few words without getting too bored. I asked him to say a few words, and nothing had been written to him. She stole the show “, he related.
The new director of the National Bank Open is aware that she will take the reins of an event which, year after year, ranks among the most popular and successful in the world.
But that does not mean that she is embarking on an adventure without great challenges: “We are going to go to 96 players instead of 56”, underlined Mme Tétreault, specifying that this increase is planned for 2025 in Montreal. “It means a tournament that is longer, so more tickets to sell. We must also make sure to optimize the spaces we have. […] Already there, these are great challenges and there will be many more to come. »