Tennis Canada at this time introduced the eight wheelchair tennis gamers who can be a part of its Nationwide Excessive Efficiency Program (NHPP), in addition to the 5 Nationwide Growth Program (NDP) group members.
Launched in 1998, the NHPP is made up of the very best Canadian gamers who compete on the worldwide stage all year long, together with Paralympic and Parapan Am Video games in addition to World Group Cup. To construct the pool of high-performance athletes, Tennis Canada launched the NDP in 2023 to assist up-and-coming gamers by offering them with funding, entry to courts, and specialised coaching and training.
“We’re very lucky to have such a proficient group of athletes to proceed to work with, and we look ahead to welcoming the brand new faces to our NHPP and NDP groups,” mentioned Kai Schrameyer, Nationwide Coach of Wheelchair Tennis at Tennis Canada. “Canadian wheelchair tennis retains on progressing and reaching new milestones, as we noticed final 12 months with 9 gamers ranked contained in the world’s High 100. We have been additionally in a position to witness the arduous work of one in all our 2024 NDP gamers repay, as Frédérique burst onto the wheelchair tennis scene with a best-ever Canadian junior ladies’ rating of No. 7, in addition to an look at a junior Grand Slam event. I and the remainder of the group at Tennis Canada can’t wait to see what’s in retailer for our superb NHPP and NDP members this upcoming season.”
The eight gamers a part of the 2025 NHPP class embody returning members Anne-Marie Dolinar, Natalia Lanucha, Thomas Venos, Barry Henderson, Shawn Courchesne, Rob Shaw, and Mitch McIntyre, in addition to former NDP member Frédérique Bérubé Perron. Final season, these athletes reached new heights, whether or not it’s career-best titles or all-time excessive rankings. Among the many highlights have been an 11-title season for Venos (three singles, eight doubles), Shaw reaching his first Paralympic quarter-final, and Bérubé Perron’s historic achievement of turning into the primary Canadian to qualify for a junior wheelchair draw at a Grand Slam occasion.
Tennis Canada’s 2025 NDP group will include Hisham Mohammad, John Chen, Lachlan Sandford, and new gamers Se Youn Moon and Patrick Levis. Every of them reached career-high rankings of their respective divisions in 2024, whereas Chen additionally claimed his first title on the ITF junior circuit.
Below Schrameyer’s management, nationwide growth coaches Christian Gingras and Sarah Hunter are supporting the expansion of NHPP and NDP gamers of their dwelling provinces. Gingras, a long-time wheelchair tennis coach, is specializing in gamers in Quebec and Ontario, whereas Hunter, a former quad division world No. 2, helps these in British Columbia.
Nationwide Excessive-Efficiency Program gamers
Anne-Marie Dolinar (ON), ladies’s world No. 51
Natalia Lanucha (QC), ladies’s world No. 65
Frédérique Bérubé Perron (QC), ladies’s world No. 67
Thomas Venos (BC), males’s world No. 48
Barry Henderson (BC), males’s world No. 83
Shawn Courchesne (ON), males’s world No. 111
Rob Shaw (ON), quad world No. 7
Mitch McIntyre (BC), quad world No. 25
Nationwide Growth Program gamers
Se Youn Moon (BC), males’s world No. 114
Patrick Levis (BC), males’s world No. 141
John Chen (BC), males’s world No. 275
Hisham Mohammad (ON), quad world No. 55
Lachlan Sandford (BC), boys’ world No. 29
