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Surprise Visit from Daniel Nestor

October 4th, 2023

On October 4th, tennis super-star Daniel Nestor surprised EJTS members at St. Thomas More school with a meet & greet and practice session. Nestor is considered Canada’s greatest tennis player, having won 82 men’s doubles titles, including a gold medal and eight Grand Slam men’s doubles titles. Stepping onto the tennis court Nestor always brought excitement and inspiration with today being no exception. The EJTS community was overjoyed as Nestor showed his skills, playing with the kids. This lifetime opportunity brought a new sense of motivation, sparking the interest of the junior tennis players in Edmonton.

Daniel Nestor’s Background

Nestor moved with his family to Toronto when he was four years old and started playing tennis at the age of seven, after his father bought him and his brother rackets. In 1984, at the Tennis Canada National Championships, he won in the under 12 category. In 1992, he defeated the then-number-one ranked Stefan Edberg for the Canadian Davis Cup. In 1994, Mark Knowles from the Bahamas became Nestor’s tennis partner, and the pair placed second at the final of the Australian Open the following year. Together, the two men won 40 titles in doubles tennis. Nestor has also partnered with Nenad Zimonjic and Max Mirnyi. Nestor became the first player in the Association of Tennis Professionals’ history to score 900 career doubles wins.

Milestones:

  •         1992 – Davis Cup winner
  •         1994 – First doubles title in Bogota, Columbia
  •         2002 – Australian Open Grand Slam winner
  •         2004 – US Open Grand Slam winner
  •         2007 – French Open Grand Slam winner
  •         2008-09 – Wimbledon Grand Slam winner
  •         2010 – Named to the Order of Canada

 

EJTS Coach, Preston Codrington, had this to say about the opportunity:

“The evening with Nestor was wonderful. He was engaging with students, played games with them and shared some of his personal experiences. Exposure to professionals enhances young athletes’ interest in the sport and also encourages them to set high goals for themselves.”