Tennis Canada is delighted to announce Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) as a supporter of its Women’s High-Performance Accelerator initiative. Reflecting the organization’s commitment to advance professional women’s sport in Canada, CTC’s involvement will see them provide funding which will be directed to support athletes who are transitioning from juniors to the professional tour. This partnership is part of CTC's Women’s Sport Initiative (WSI), a multi-million-dollar investment where 50% of their sponsorship dollars are committed to women’s professional sports by 2026.
“Through the commitment and achievement of Canadian women competing on the world stage, Tennis Canada has established a strong foundation to build upon,” said Gavin Ziv, Chief Executive Officer, Tennis Canada. “We are a world leader in women’s tennis, but it will take targeted investment in women and girls to stay there. This initiative will unlock access, accelerate our athletes’ success, inspire the nation and build a legacy for a new generation of Canadian tennis players. We are especially excited about working with Canadian Tire Corporation, who have such an incredible track record in this space.”
The Women’s High-Performance Accelerator is designed to directly support athletes and coaches to help fast-track their development and achievements at the elite level of the sport. This includes investment in coaching and IST, sport science expertise, sport medicine and wellness, access to elite training environments, tailored competition and training strategies, and mentorship.
“At Canadian Tire Corporation, we recognize that meaningful investment in women’s sport is essential to advancing gender equity in sport,” said Eva Salem, Senior Vice-President, Marketing & Brand Management, Canadian Tire Corporation. “By supporting Tennis Canada’s Women’s High-Performance Accelerator initiative, we are not only investing in the future of female athletes but also making life in Canada better by contributing to a more inclusive future for Canadian sport.”
With the funding provided by CTC, Tennis Canada will prioritize support for emerging Canadian players. Canada’s depth on the WTA Tour is demonstrated by the fact it currently has 10 players ranked inside the Top 300, with six aged under 25. The goal of the initiative is to raise funds to support more Canadian women’s tennis players like those and propel them to higher WTA rankings.
“I was with Tennis Canada from a very young age, especially as a junior,” said Mboko, as part of an interview for an upcoming content series in collaboration with CTC. “They were always very supportive with education, schooling, fitness, physio and on-court. I always felt very taken care of through every aspect of my life. They’ve had a really great support system around me and a lot of the people I’ve known since I was very young. To have those people around you who know who you are is very important – they know the kind of character you have, what you like and what you don’t like.”
She added: “As a little girl, my dream was to become No. 1 in the world and a Grand Slam champion,” Mboko said. “I think that’s the dream of so many girls on the WTA circuit. For me, as long as every day I’m working one step closer towards my goal, it’s always a dream of mine. It’s really nice to see how far things have come. It shows how hard work pays off and it keeps me motivated for what’s to come in the future too. I’m still that little girl who has that same dream so I’ve just got to keep going.”
Click here to learn more about Tennis Canada's high-performance programming.
CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION (CTC) TO RECEIVE SECOND-ANNUAL UNMATCHED AWARD
In recognition of their outstanding support for women’s sport at all levels across the country, CTC has also been named as the second-ever recipients of the UNMATCHED Award.
Presented for the first time in 2024 to Toronto-based Canadian sports executive Larry Tanenbaum, the UNMATCHED Award honors an organization or individual who has materially invested in the development of women’s sport. Recipients are selected based on their major contributions to achieving gender equity and changing the game for future generations.
CTC will be presented with the 2025 award during today’s UNMATCHED: Gender Equity in Sport Conference presented by Tennis Canada and National Bank at Sobeys Stadium. Joining keynote speaker and the NCAA’s University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball Head Coach Dawn Staley are fellow gender equity advocates such as WTA Chair Steve Simon, former sports TV executive Nathalie Cook and the Toronto Tempo’s Lisa Ferkul.
“We are very grateful to have a partner like Canadian Tire Corporation invest in our Women’s High-Performance program” said Eva Havaris, Senior Vice President of Tennis Development and Partnerships at Tennis Canada. “It is crucial that we invest in our emerging women’s high-performance athletes to ensure they can reach their full potential, by raising the necessary funds. CTC’s commitment to advancing women’s sport at the highest level in Canada is unmatched and we are delighted to have a partner like them to support this initiative.
“We are also delighted to confirm CTC as the recipients of our second-annual UNMATCHED Award and look forward to celebrating this achievement with our attendees at this week’s UNMATCHED Conference.”
