Tennis Canada has cancelled all national and international tournaments until at least Halloween due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the decision could have some major effects on local organizations.
Head Professional and Technical Director of Tennis Newfoundland and Labrador, Mike Meaney, says he wasn’t surprised by the decision as many major sporting events and tournaments have also been cancelled.
He says the cancellation has a huge impact on the game, as Tennis NL and local organizations receive a lot of their funding from Tennis Canada, which comes through major tournaments like the Rogers Cup.
The Head Pro says there has been some $17- to $18-million in revenue lost, and a lot of that is streamlined to the provinces as 90 per cent of Tennis Canada’s revenue comes from the operation of those events.
Meaney believes they’ll need to get a bit more creative in their regions and provinces to try and fill those shortcomings.
However, when it comes to growing the game of tennis, Meaney thinks the situation is two-fold.
He says there is an opportunity to grow the sport and get more people involved and active because of the circumstances with COVID-19. But, from a developmental standpoint, not having events for players will affect them as they don’t get to compete against kids in Alberta, Ontario or BC.
Meaney says there are positives to take away as registration is up a couple-hundred per cent this summer.
Making a Pandemic Serve: Young Tennis Player Staying Sharp During COVID-19
Meanwhile, a budding tennis star from this province is making the most of the pandemic fuelled summer.
12-year-old Declan Walsh is the current under-12 Atlantic Tennis Champion.
Throughout the pandemic, when tennis still wasn’t allowed, Walsh was training at home and playing tennis against a wall just to keep a racket in his hands.
He’s now back to training at the courts and enjoying every minute.
Walsh says COVID has certainly impacted his training, and with physical distancing in place, it’s tough to get around and practice like they used to. He says everyone is trying their best to keep it going, and it’s all working out well.
Without competition, Walsh doesn’t know how he stacks up to athletes from bigger centres like Ontario or Quebec, so he’s been working hard to stay sharp.
To try and bring his game to the next level when he can return to competition, Walsh has even done some mental training.
Declan says he doesn’t worry about the other player anymore. Now, he focuses on himself, what he can do and achieve.
Although Tennis Canada has cancelled all national and international tournaments for the summer and fall, that won’t dampen the spirits of Declan Walsh. He says he can’t wait to get back to tournaments as soon as it’s safe to do so, as safety is the top priority.
