An enduring dedication to the sport he loves to play has earned a Yellowknife Tennis Club member a national award.
John St. Louis was recently bestowed with the Distinguished Service Award by Tennis Canada for 2023 — a distinction that recognizes an outstanding commitment and long-term contribution to the sport of tennis.
St. Louis said he was honoured when he was contacted by Tennis Canada, Tennis NWT and the executive director of the Yellowknife Tennis Club — all offering their congratulations for receiving the award.
“I was surprised and grateful to receive it and I’m very grateful to have others acknowledge the contribution that I made, and all the time and effort, even though I enjoyed it along the way,” St. Louis said of his years of involvement in club activities.
CEO of Tennis Canada, Gavin Ziv, said in an email that St. Louis “has notably helped the growth and popularity of the game.”
“Not only do the (Distinguished Service Awards) DSAs honour the individual, but they also positively acknowledge tennis participation in their tennis community,” Ziv said.
A plaque has been made in St. Louis’ name which will be presented to him at a ceremony organized locally, he added.
Valued contributions
Slavica Jovic, director and secretary of Tennis NWT, said the contributions St. Louis has made to the sport are exceptional.
“Today is a wonderful day for our organization,” Jovic stated. “John has made a major impact on growing tennis in Yellowknife and (the) NWT for years, helping to greatly increase the participation in, and popularity of, tennis in the North of Canada.”
St. Louis said while he played tennis as a youngster, his competitive tennis career began when he moved to Yellowknife in 2005.
“I don’t think I played in a tournament before then. I played in lots here because the Yellowknife Tennis Club is so well organized that they have lots of tournaments every summer.
“And so there were opportunities to play in friendly tournaments, where I hadn’t had those opportunities before,” he said.
After joining the Tennis NWT board in 2013, St. Louis soon became president for a five-year term. He was also on the board of the Yellowknife Tennis Club.
Jovic said he helped the growth and popularity of the game “through club management and community club involvement.”
“He volunteered his time and skills at tournaments, promotions, community activities and any other developmental programs that helped to grow the game,” she said.
“This is an incredible achievement for our team and for the club. The Yellowknife Tennis Club is truly a special place, made up of incredible and talented people who love tennis,” Jovic said.
Ziv said such outstanding efforts “do not go unnoticed.”
“Recognizing these individuals shows how we are able to continue to be a world-leading tennis nation and grow the sport on local, provincial, and national levels.”
Ziv said tennis is a rapidly growing sport in Canada – one that builds community and promotes a healthy lifestyle as an “accessible and safe sport” – and cited a YouGov Canada study which indicated in 2023, almost five million Canadians participated in tennis.
Loving the game
St. Louis said there is “no sport like it.”
“I was privileged to work with a number of very capable, hardworking, generous people on the board. And that’s what kept me going and made it worthwhile.
“So, while I’m being recognized, really everything I was a part of was just as a member of a team,” St. Louis said.
“I will never stop playing tennis as long as I have the ability to hold a racket.”
St. Louis joins previous winners of Tennis Canada’s Distinguished Service Award in the Northwest Territories: Dennis Bevington, Richard Daitch, Nikola Jovic, Slavica Jovic, Tamara Jovic, Jeannie Scott and Shirley Zhang.
