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***Louis Borfiga has been vice-president, high performance athlete development at Tennis Canada since August 2006. From 1990 to 2006, Borfiga was the director of national coaches at l’Institut National du Sport et de l’Éducation Physique (INSEP), the main national training centre for some of the top players in the world, located in France. He also served as the coordinator of French junior tennis programs. The French Tennis Federation is known as one of the leading tennis development systems in the world and Borfiga has been a key element to its success. Over the years, Borfiga has coached many talented players from France including Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Gaël Monfils, all of whom have reached Top 15 status. His coaching resume also includes current Top 100 ranked players such as Fabrice Santoro and Julien Benneteau. Borfiga played for his native Monte Carlo in Davis Cup competitions for nine years between 1973 and 1982 and played on the professional circuit until 1985. He’s also been a hitting partner for the legendary Bjorn Borg. Since he joined Tennis Canada, he has contributed to the Canadian athletes’ development at different levels and was the initiator of the National Training Centre (NTC) project which opened in September 2007 at Uniprix Stadium.***
Biography curiosity of Tennis Canada
Photo curiosity of French Tennis Federation
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OC : Louis, did you ever dream that in your position you would be responsible for helping bring Canada to the semi-finals of Davis Cup?
LB : Yes it was in my objectives, as you must be confident in setting your objectives so that you can transmit to the staff and the players the required belief. I just did not think it would happen so fast.
OC : What made this result possible?
LB : What made it possible is the quality of our players and staff. Also, a lot of other small areas have helped us win at this high level of tennis. Each of our players contributed in their own way: Our #1, Milos did not lose a match which is an extraordinary performance, Frank Dancevic played the match of his life when he had to, and our doubles team, Daniel and Vasek, went and got the victory against Italy in an unbelievable courageous effort. You could feel a team which wanted to create a page of Canadian history. Martin, Guillaume and the whole support staff did a great job to prepare the team and the players to maximize their performance. The fact that two of the matches were in Canada also helped us tremendously.
OC : What are the important factors in the upcoming tie?
LB : We are going to have to believe we can win and let the Serbs feel that we are ready to win. How will Djokovic react physically and mentally to the US Open and his charity event in New York on Tuesday night. The ability of our players to handle the crowd will be essential because it will be an explosive environment. The Serbs will be great favorites and all the pressure will be on them, so we must profit from this. Most importantly our players must realize what an extraordinary moment this is in their career.
OC : You have gone down this road with France, what is the difference this time?
LB : A semi finals in Davis Cup is a semi finals in Davis Cup regardless of wether you are French, Canadian or Spanish, all feel the pressure. France has a greater tradition of Davis Cup and that tradition grows with every generation. Davis Cup occupies an important place in the French sport landscape, even if you are not a tennis fan you will watch Davis Cup. Personally, I am more involved here with the team than I was in France. Martin and I have worked closely to improve the operations of the team. The Canadian people have adopted me so well that my dream is to bring the Cup back to Canada. Go Canada go!
OC : Whatever happens we are all grateful for what you have helped Canada achieve. We wish you good luck. Go Canada go!
