Tennis Canada today announced the class of 2025-2026 for the National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers (NTC), featuring five returning players and four new recruits. The cohort includes athletes from Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec. Since the NTC was established in 2007, the number of current and former students has now surpassed 70.
CLASS OF 2025-2026
PLAYER | FORMER CLUB | HOMETOWN | BIRTH YEAR |
Antoine Clavel | Tennis 13 – Académie de Tennis Ménard et associés | Laval, Quebec | 2009 |
Caden Colburne | Atlantic Tennis Centre | Truro, Nova Scotia | 2009 |
Laurence Demers | Académie de tennis UNI(T) | Boischatel, Quebec | 2009 |
Antoine Généreux | Académie de tennis UNI(T) | Boischatel, Quebec | 2009 |
Nadia Lagaev | Advantage Tennis International – Veneto Tennis Club | Toronto, Ontario | 2008 |
Callum MacKinnon | Granite Club | Toronto, Ontario | 2010 |
Clémence Mercier | Tennis 13 – Académie de Tennis Ménard et associés | Saint-Roch-Ouest, Quebec | 2008 |
Andrea Taylor | Regional Training Centre – Sobeys Stadium | Pickering, Ontario | 2009 |
Andy Tchinda Kepche | Club Avantage Multi-Sports / Académie de tennis Aliassime | Quebec City, Quebec | 2009 |
“We are extremely excited to enter the 2025-2026 season and look forward to supporting our NTC athletes as they continue their journey to the top,” said Guillaume Marx, Vice President of High Performance at Tennis Canada. “This year’s class includes four new talents who join an already strong group. We are eager to see what they can accomplish this season and beyond, while also serving as inspiration to the next generation of kids who will follow in their footsteps. We recently saw Victoria Mboko, a member of the 2021 and 2022 NTC class, win the National Bank Open presented by Rogers here in Montreal, and that's exactly how Canada has become and remains a leading tennis nation, by showing to the rest of the country that it's possible to become one of the best players in the world.”
The four new NTC members are Antoine Clavel, Laurence Demers, Nadia Lagaev and Callum MacKinnon. They join sophomores Antoine Généreux and Clémence Mercier, as well as third-year students Caden Colburne, Andrea Taylor, and Andy Tchinda Kepche.
Demers, one of the newcomers, is having a memorable year, winning her biggest title to date at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) J100 event in Quebec City, as well as the doubles crown at the U16 Fischer Indoor Nationals. Second-year student Mercier has five titles to her name in 2025, including four ITF J100 events in doubles. Canada’s top-ranked junior, Lagaev, joins the NTC full-time after receiving technical support and coaching mentorship last season. The Toronto native has won six ITF J200 titles this year – four doubles and two singles. The youngest girl at the NTC, Taylor, will begin her third year in pursuit of her first title of the season.
READ: Mboko Finding Comfort Amidst Life-Changing Success Thanks to Coaching Team
On the boys' side, Clavel starts his NTC journey after winning two J30 doubles titles earlier in the year. Colburne, the highest-ranked boy in the class, won his first junior ITF title in January before quickly adding five more, along with the doubles title at the U16 Fischer Outdoor Nationals. Généreux is in great form of late, having won three of his four ITF titles on the season over the past three weeks. The sophomore also clinched the singles crown at the U16 Fischer Indoor Nationals in the spring. The NTC officially welcomes its first 2010-born player, MacKinnon, who has two ITF doubles titles under his belt. Rounding out the class is third-year student Tchinda Kepche, who won three ITF events this season as well as the singles title at the U18 Fischer Outdoor Nationals.
Among last year’s graduates, Emma Dong joined the Georgia Bulldogs women’s tennis team and Miko Lapalme joined the men’s North Carolina State Wolfpack – both NCAA Division I universities.
NTC STAFF
Under Marx's leadership, NTC students receive world-class training and coaching and have access to all the necessary resources to succeed at the highest level of tennis. The facilities at IGA Stadium in Montreal are state-of-the-art, including a fully equipped gym, 11 indoor and 10 outdoor hard courts, and four indoor clay courts.
The internationally renowned coaching team, led by Noëlle van Lottum, Head of Women's Tennis, and Frank Dancevic, Head of Men's Tennis, includes Martin Laurendeau, National Coach, and NTC Coaches Marie-Ève Pelletier, Zack Ohlin, Hugo Di Feo, and Sandric Barrere. Reporting to Melissa Lacroix, Senior Director of High Performance, are National Fitness Coaches Nicolas Perrotte, Virginie Tremblay, Lea Thibault and François Ramamonjisoa. They manage the players' physical training, while Stéphane Berthelet, Academic Manager, oversees their schoolwork.
NTC BY THE NUMBERS
• 71 players enrolled (past and present)
• 18 graduates currently on the pro tours
• Nine graduates currently at NCAA DI schools
• 1,000 hours of training per year
• Over 600 hours of study
Click here to learn more about the National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers.
Photo: Sarah-Jade Champagne
