On Thursday, Tennis Canada announced the appointment of Martin Laurendeau as Head of Men’s Tennis, where he will oversee men’s elite-level tennis across the country. With 40 years of international tennis experience as an ATP Tour player (1986-1993) and coach since 1994, Laurendeau will now bring his expertise to support coaches and players across Canada, shifting from mentoring select athletes to advancing high-performance tennis nationwide.
“I’m incredibly honoured to take on this new position as Head of Men’s Tennis at Tennis Canada,” said Laurendeau. “Having been part of this organization for over 30 years and seeing Canadian tennis evolve into what it is today – with even more players competing on tour, Canadians reaching new milestones, and recent success for Team Canada – I can’t wait to continue building on this momentum.”
Laurendeau previously served as National Coach at Tennis Canada, where he helped propel several players into the Top 100, including Daniel Nestor, Denis Shapovalov, and most recently Gabriel Diallo. He was also coach of the Canadian Davis Cup team for 11 years, then team captain for 13 years, from 2004 to 2017. While in this captaincy role, the Montreal native coached Team Canada at the Olympic Games in Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), London (2012), and Rio (2016). Laurendeau is one of Canada's three Level 5 coaches, the highest level of coaching certification.
During his playing days, Laurendeau reached a career-high ranking of No. 90 on the ATP Tour and represented Canada at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul and in numerous Davis Cup competitions. His best professional result came at the 1988 US Open, where he defeated former Top 20 players Jimmy Arias of the United States and Jaime Yzaga of Peru to reach the round of 16 as a qualifier.
Meanwhile, Frank Dancevic, who previously held the Head of Men’s Tennis position, will remain captain of Canada’s Davis Cup team, which he has led to four finals appearances and the country’s first-ever world championship in 2022. As team captain, Dancevic will continue to work with Tennis Canada's high-performance team, following and providing support to current and prospective Davis Cup team members throughout the season.
“We’re delighted with the appointment of Martin [Laurendeau] as Head of Men’s Tennis,” said Guillaume Marx, Vice-President of High Performance at Tennis Canada. “Marty has played such an important role in shaping men’s tennis in our country, and it’s fitting for him to take on more responsibility in leading it at the national level. At the same time, we’re thankful to Frank Dancevic for leading the men’s program over the last few years, and we are pleased to be able to continue working with him as captain of our Davis Cup team.
