Tennis Canada has partnered with the University of Ottawa, Own the Podium, the Canadian Center for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS), and Game Plan to design, implement and evaluate a comprehensive, long-term strategy to improve the mental health and wellness of tennis players. Athletes, coaches, parents and staff in Canada.
After 15 months of research and planning, Tennis Canada has become the first National Sport Organization (NSO) to unveil an NSO-wide mental health strategy based on Canada's National Mental Health Strategy for High Performance Sports (launched in 2021) and will roll out the pilot program. With a targeted approach in 2024 and beyond.
“As athletes increasingly share their struggles with mental health, we wanted to show a willingness to listen to these concerns and take action,” said Gavin Ziff, CEO of Tennis Canada. “By leveraging the expertise of our partners, we have created a strategy that not only allows our players to feel heard and supported, but also recognizes well-being as an essential part of their performance journey. This strategy puts us on the path to becoming a leading voice for mental health in Canadian sport.”
Tennis Canada appointed Marie-José Bellemare as Director of Health in May 2023. In this newly created role, Bellemare is responsible for working closely with athletes, parents, coaches and staff to provide health and lifestyle assistance and will play a key role in implementing the action plan.
The sustainable strategy is based on three pillars:
Promotes: Promote healthy habits and raise awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness.
Supports: Implement strategies to support the mental health and wellness of Canadian tennis players, their families, coaches and staff.
Care: Ensuring that our athletes receive appropriate care or are referred to the appropriate experts for evaluation and treatment.
He promotes
Within the promotion pillar is Tennis Canada's game-changing Mental Timeout initiative with support from Beneva, which launched at the 2022 National Bank Open in Toronto and Montreal. 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, 2022 Davis Cup winner Alexis Galarneau, and top-ranked Canadian wheelchair player Rob Shaw were ambassadors for the project in 2023. An important element of the mental timeout is the Positive Court Pledge, which A written pledge signed by the participants. In Canadian Tennis which aims to create a supportive, safe and thriving environment. Mental Timeout also includes on-site energizing activities for top WTA and ATP tennis players such as yoga and meditation, a relaxation area for players and positive postcards (uplifting messages hand-delivered to players' locker rooms during the tournament).
As part of its broader strategy, Tennis Canada will also offer a mental health content series, a Lunch n Learn series for employees that focuses on employee well-being including topics such as coping with stress and anxiety to manage workflow. Tennis Canada has collaborated with its partners to provide a resource center on its website that provides easy access to key information and service referrals.
supports
The support pillar will include an ambassador program including mental health champions. These Champions are athletes, coaches and staff who have undergone Mental Health First Aid training and will be “on the ground” advocates and promoters of mental health initiatives.
In order to support the families of our athletes in a meaningful way, the Integrated Support Team (Medical, Fitness, Wellness, Physiotherapy, Sports Science, Mental Performance) has designed a rehabilitation plan for the National Tennis Center/Regional Training Center and the National Team. athletes, while there are plans for a parents' lounge in Toronto as well as a dedicated space for players in Montreal.
While Tennis Canada seeks to encourage athletes to understand the importance of giving back to the community, NTC players will participate in fundraising and volunteer projects throughout the year. Players, parents and coaches will also have access to a workshop and training calendar to encourage basic knowledge about mental health and wellness.
Care
Tennis Canada has created an athlete assistance plan to ensure and facilitate referral to mental health professionals in collaboration with CCMHS. NTC's integrated support team has a communications system to facilitate return to play and referral to the appropriate professional for evaluation and/or treatment.
“Tennis Canada should be commended for stepping up and developing a sound mental health strategy grounded in science and a comprehensive mental health strategy for high-performance sports in Canada,” said Nathalie Durand-Bouche, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor at the University of Ottawa. , Executive Director of CCMHS. “The Canadian tennis community will be stronger as a result of this impactful work. We want athletes, coaches, staff and parents to be able to manage their mental health and performance as they strive to achieve their goals. Tennis Canada has created an important roadmap to do this.”
Michaela Babich, a doctoral student at the University of Ottawa, plays an important role in this process by helping with the research and supervising every step of this new project. The strategy will be rolled out to the National Tennis Center presented by Rogers and national teams in 2024, and the wider competitive structure in 2025, followed by regional clubs and academies by 2026.
