McDadi’s last day will be December 31, 2023, although he will continue to work part time, as a consultant until June 2024

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Hatem McDadi, Senior VP of High Performance Development, will be retiring at the end of December 2023. McDadi will continue to work as a consultant part-time until June 30, 2024 to assist with the recruitment and transition of a replacement.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to have served Canadian tennis for so many years,” said McDadi. “Growing our non-profit mission with partners, developing the Canadian sports system, heroic players who have worked hard to reach their potential and pave the way, winning Olympic gold, Parapan Am gold, Grand Slam champions, and Grand Slam champions. Winning the 2022 Davis Cup was very special. But the journey and the moments with all parties involved are the most memorable. I am grateful and proud to all the passionate, skilled and caring colleagues, board of directors, senior management team, private sector and provincial partners, community leaders and champions who have helped make Canadian tennis strong and passionate.”

He added: “Past and present leaders helped build our great sport and historic results are a collective effort. Special thanks to Michael [Downey], our senior management team, and board of directors for years for thinking big, daring, and believing. Lastly, we are very fortunate to have an outstanding team of high performing leadership, staff and coaches as the future is poised to achieve even more historic results with this leadership team. I will miss many special people and I am grateful for the memories and moments together.”

After joining Tennis Canada full-time in 1999, McDadi has spent nearly 25 years with the organization, driving its high performance and tennis development program to unparalleled success. Under her leadership, Canadian tennis’s repertoire of high-performance milestones is unparalleled in its 133-year history. Team Canada is represented by a maiden Sobeys Davis Cup victory in 2022, the first Canadian Grand Slam singles title won by Bianca Andreescu at the 2019 US Open, and Olympic Gold medals for Daniel Nestor and Sebastien Lareau at Sydney 2000 – where McDadi coached from sidelines field – ranks as one of the highlights of his tenure.

His extensive list of accomplishments also includes playing an integral role in securing funding and approval for the Rogers-presented National Tennis Center as well as U15 regional programs in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal; creation and launch of an integrated ranking and tournament management system in collaboration with the Provincial and Territorial Tennis Association (PTTA); and the launch of Children’s Tennis in Canada including more than 500 new events for U10. McDadi has also built a world-class team of coaches, fitness professionals and exercise science specialists, all of whom have made significant contributions to Canada’s rise to become the world’s leading tennis nation.

“It has been an honor and pleasure to work with Hatem over the last two decades,” said Micheal Downey, Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Canada, who will also be stepping down at the end of 2023. compassion and empathy for others will be sorely missed. Her legacy in Tennis Canada is truly unparalleled, and so is her passion for Canadian tennis. Hatem truly embodies our corporate values ​​of passion, excellence, integrity, innovation, teamwork and accountability. We wish him all the best in his retirement, but we are pleased that he has decided to continue working part time as a consultant until June 2024.”

Prior to being in Tennis Canada, McDadi was an accomplished player. He achieved a career-high ranking of No. 226 on the ATP Tour in 1985 and was previously the U18 Canadian Junior National champion in singles and doubles. After his playing career, McDadi co-owned a tennis academy and later coached Canadian tennis star Rene Simpson and 12-time Grand Slam double champion Nestor.