Former Canadian professional tennis player, Daniel Nestor, playing tennis with campers on centre court.
A group of New Canadian Youth developed a huge passion for tennis after attending a four-day camp.
The Tennis Canada Summer Tennis Camp, held in honour of tennis doubles legend Daniel Nestor, was located at the Aviva Centre from July 2-5. It was also aimed at children ages 8-13 who have moved to Canada within the past 10 years. Both Tennis Canada and Tennis Clubs of Canada teamed up to operate the camp with the hopes of expanding tennis participation across the nation. York University generously contributed as well by allowing campers to use their facilities for field games and swimming. Over 30 New Canadians registered, with the majority of them never having played tennis before.
The Tennis Clubs of Canada staff facilitated the camp by running on-court drills and games, including Rogers Community Team Tennis. Having the camp primarily based around team activities created an inclusive and tightly-knitted environment for everyone. In response, the campers were highly engaged, showing a tremendous level of enthusiasm throughout. One of the Tennis Clubs of Canada coaches at the camp, Cassandra Webster, said that teaching these kids was an experience like no other.
“They are all just so excited, engaged, and want to learn more and be involved,” she said. “It is really encouraging as a coach to see kids who are so excited to play tennis. There is a spirit with all of these kids that I haven’t had with some of my other groups. They are always happy and just so grateful.”
Behind each on-court game, the Tennis Clubs of Canada staff also played a vital role in teaching these kids underlying life lessons. Competing in teams and working together enhanced their communication, leadership, and problem solving skills. The ability to lead a team to victory in a constructive manner is a quality that is important to practice in everyday life.
On the second last day of camp, Nestor dropped in to meet the campers and play tennis with them on centre court. In a sit-down with the 12-time Grand Slam doubles champion, he agreed that tennis teaches essential life skills that can be applied anywhere.
“Tennis teaches lots of important values, discipline, patience and hard work,” he told the campers. “It doesn’t matter what you do in life – you will need those important factors for whatever it is you decide to do to be successful and tennis is a great stepping stone for that.”
Like the campers, Nestor also started his tennis journey in Canada, moving from Serbia at the age of four and beginning to play tennis at the age of seven. Being able to relate to the kids in that way, the tennis star said that having fun playing the sport at this age is key to turning it into a lifelong passion.
“It’s all about having fun, especially at your age,” he said to them. “It’s a great sport and it’s taught me a lot but I think if you guys want to play it for a long time, you have to enjoy it and enjoy the experience, so hopefully you guys all have fun today and we all have fun together.”
The kids took that piece of advice to heart and did exactly that when they went to play on centre court with him. Several mini nets were set up along the court and the kids got an opportunity to rally with Nestor. He also made a conscious effort of playing either with or against everyone and maintained a high level of enthusiasm throughout.
By the end of the camp, the kids felt a great sense of fulfillment. The progress the kids made was massive, from not knowing how to hold the racquet at the beginning, to being able to rally back and forth with a partner. Iqra Khugyani, a camper who moved from Afghanistan to Canada five months ago, said that being in the camp inspired her to continue playing tennis even now that the camp has wrapped up.
“My favourite part about the camp was playing tennis and having fun together,” she said. “I really liked to play tennis with all of the teachers and I love them all.”
Nestor offers advice to Khugyani and all of the other campers who plan on pursuing tennis. After reflecting back on his own career, he said that finding a balance between having fun and working hard on and off the court is key to rapid improvement and overall success.
“It’s important to have your goals and try to be the best player you can but also to do it in a fun environment,” he said. “If you can have a situation where you are having fun and working hard at the same time, that’s ideal.”
Two campers proudly wearing their new Tennis Clubs of Canada shirts after receiving them on the last day.