Tennis Canada To Honor Cayer and Pedlar

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 20th June 2013

Tennis Canada To Honor Cayer and Pedlar

epa03748626 Dutch Thiemo de Bakker in action against Paolo Lorenzi from Italy during the Topshelf Open tennis tournament in Rosmalen, Netherlands, 17 June 2013. EPA/GUUS SCHOONEWILLE |

On Wednesday, Tennis Canada announced that Louis Cayer and Jack Pedlar will be inducted into the Canadian Tennis Hall of Fame in recognition of their invaluable contributions to the history of tennis in Canada.

As a coach for over 44 years, Louis Cayer has made a name for himself in tennis here and abroad. He started out in the sport at 16 years old, working for the city of Montreal. In 1976, he pursued his career at the Club de tennis Îles des Soeurs, where he spent 30 years. Cayer has worked with nine Top 100 singles players and over 30 Top 100 doubles specialists. He coached the Canadian Davis Cup team from 1989 to 1993 and was team captain from 1994 to 2000. He also prepared Sébastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor for their quest for gold at the Sydney Olympics.

Cayer played a determining role in coach training in Canada. While earning his degree in education, he developed an actions oriented methodology that, in 1989, formed the educational framework for the Canadian tennis coaching certification system and led to the game-based approach promoted by the International Tennis Federation. He oversaw the national certification program from 1989 until his departure for Great Britain. A gifted speaker, Cayer has traveled to over 30 countries to take part in every ITF conference since 1987. In 2011, he was awarded the ITF Service to the Game award in recognition of his remarkable contribution to tennis. Since 2007, Cayer has lived in England and worked at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) as the director of high performance coaching. His collaborations with the British Fed Cup and Davis Cup teams were key to the nation’s success in doubles. In 2012, Cayer’s efforts helped Jonny Marray take the Wimbledon doubles crown after Britain’s 76-year wait.

Tennis was always a part of Jack Pedlar’s life. In fact, the sport was a family affair since his two older brothers, Will and George, also played. Pedlar, who sadly passed away in 2009, won 12 Canadian Open senior doubles titles. Off the court, he played a pivotal role in the sport’s development in British Columbia. He was vice-president of the board of directors of the Pacific Northwest Tennis Association and president of Tennis BC and the BC Masters. He was the founder of many tournaments which allowed numerous future Canadian Davis Cup and Fed Cup players to get their start on the international scene. He organized, among other events, the Pepsi Club Team Challenge during the 1970s which eventually became a national program where junior clubs faced each other as part of the Junior Nationals. Pedlar was also a member of the board for the Pacific Northwest Tennis Association, acting as vice-president, and also served as president at Tennis B.C. and the B.C. Masters.

Canadian tennis as a whole benefited from Pedlar’s continuous efforts to provide access to various programs and tournaments put on by the United States Tennis Association during a critical time for tennis development in the western part of the country. He will be long remembered for his leadership and commitment to tennis.

Cayer will be inducted on Centre Court in Montreal during the evening session on August 7 at the 2013 Rogers Cup. For his part, Pedlar will be inducted at a dinner ceremony during the Senior Nationals in Vancouver in August.

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JerseyTennisCI says:

June 21, 2013 at 4:14 am

RT @BritishTennis: Congratulations to Louis Cayer who is to be inducted into the @Tennis_Canada Hall of Fame for services to the game http:…
Future_Pursuit says:

June 21, 2013 at 5:00 am

RT @BritishTennis: Congratulations to Louis Cayer who is to be inducted into the @Tennis_Canada Hall of Fame for services to the game http:…