2023-08-03 23:30:00
Met in her office at the IGA stadium, the new director of the National Bank Open in Montreal was calm on the eve of the draw. The gray skies, however, reminded him of the anxiety caused by the weather at an outdoor event.
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“We’ve had so many severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings, including one that didn’t go very far [cet été]. It forced us to go back to see our emergency measures with 20,000 people on the site, ”assures Valérie Tétreault calmly, who hopes one day to see the central court renovated and equipped with a retractable roof.
The one who retired from playing tennis at the dawn of her twenties has no control over Mother Nature. What she can control however is how to bring her signature to the competition, although she wants to continue the work done for more than 20 years by her predecessor, Eugène Lapierre. Tétreault draws inspiration from his experience as an athlete in order to add his own color.
“I was one of the players who had to go through the qualifications, says the former 112th in the world in a generous interview with The newspaper. Often, a lot of effort and resources are put into the top 20 girls, even though they can afford it all. We want to attract the cream of the crop, but we must not forget that among the lowest ranked, there are rising stars who will remember how we treated them.
Valérie Tétreault in an interview with Le Journal in her office at the IGA stadium. Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin, Le Journal de Montreal
Leaving the hotel room
The girls will be spoiled over the next few days, with access to the Osheaga music festival, the Cirque du Soleil show, the Bota Bota spa and the best restaurants in the Quebec metropolis.
“One of the reasons why my career has been so short is that I have not been able to find the balance to allow me to have a life outside the field,” says Tétreault, who feels a bit of the same butterflies and the same adrenaline as she approached her tournament as when she was jumping on center court.
“I find it a pity. I’ve been to cities all over the world and I haven’t seen anything but the hotel and the stadium.”
“From 2025, players will play every other day [le tournoi passera de 7 à 12 jours et de 56 à 96 athlètes] and they will have time. My mission is to get them out of their hotel room to enjoy Montreal, which has so much to offer,” observes the 35-year-old woman.
In Montreal with the kids
In the players’ lounge, there will be a barista and a children’s area. Because players are also mothers. Victoria Azarenka will be accompanied by her 6-year-old son, Léo; Olivia, 2, and James, 9 months, will be with Carolina Wozniacki. It is not yet known whether the little Skaï, 9 months, will travel with her mother, Elina Svitolina, to Montreal or with her father, Gaël Monfils, to Toronto, or if she will stay at home.
“We make sure that the needs of the mothers are met at the hotel too, some travel with a nanny, supports Tétreault, mother of Adelaide, 2 years old […] One day, we could think of having a daycare available for the children of players and employees.
Equality and equity
Among the other prides of the former director of communications at Tennis Canada, there is that of the parity of scholarships between men and women which will be reached in 2027. This summer, the champion in Montreal will receive $454,500, while the winner in Toronto will pocket $1,019,335.
“Players will be able to make a good living from tennis and they will play longer than me, who was not making any money at the end of the year,” recalls Tétreault.
The latter is also the sole director of a Masters 1000 tournament, the second largest category after the Majors. Among the four Grand Slams, Amélie Mauresmo in Paris and Stacey Allaster in New York are sources of inspiration for the one who has the book The underside of women’s tennisby Nathalie Tauziat, former world number 3 and former coach of Quebecers Eugenie Bouchard and Aleksandra Wozniak.
“It was a shock when I went to an ATP meeting in Monte-Carlo, relates the former analyst at TVA Sports. There were only white men 50 and older. I admit I felt a few stares. It was intimidating, but I managed to gain respect. When you want to grow a sport, it takes several perspectives. I saw how tennis is not there.
Tétreault is therefore well placed to improve the experience of players and clients during the Montreal tournament and win over new tennis fans.
Valérie Tétreault during a match against Marion Bartoli in Montreal, in 2010. File photo, Martin Chevalier, Le Journal de Montreal
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