Louis Cayer - Have a clear vision on how you can bridge the gap

Emma Doyle has followed Louis Cayer's coaching methodologies and attended many of his lectures over the years. When jumped at the opportunity to interview him when they both presented in London at the Lawn Tennis Association Coaches Conference right before Wimbledon in 2017.

In this episode, Louis talks about what makes a great coach - someone who cares and has a vision for the player. He said, "the player has a dream-goal vision. For me (as a coach) I have a process vision.’ And therefore, as a coach, ‘I need (to have) an awareness of standards, assess where they are, (and then focus on) how will I bridge the gap. And when I have a clear vision of how I can bridge that gap, I know very well that they will succeed and I share that belief with them.’

As a coach for over 44 years, Louis Cayer has made a name for himself in tennis here and abroad. He started out in the sport at 16 years old, working for the city of Montreal. In 1976, he pursued his career at the Club de tennis Îles des Soeurs, where he spent 30 years. Cayer has worked with nine Top 100 singles players and over 30 Top 100 doubles specialists. He coached the Canadian Davis Cup team from 1989 to 1993 and was team captain from 1994 to 2000. He also prepared Sébastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor for their quest for gold at the Sydney Olympics.

Cayer played a determining role in coach training in Canada. While earning his degree in education, he developed an actions oriented methodology that, in 1989, formed the educational framework for the Canadien tennis coaching certification system and led to the game-based approach promoted by the International Tennis Federation. He oversaw the national certification program from 1989 until his departure for Great Britain. A gifted speaker, Cayer has travelled to over 30 countries to take part in every ITF conference since 1987. In 2011, he was awarded the ITF Service to the Game award in recognition of his remarkable contribution to tennis. Since 2007, Cayer has lived in England and worked at the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) as the director of high-performance coaching. His collaborations with the British Fed Cup and Davis Cup teams were key to the nation’s success in doubles. In 2012, Cayer’s efforts helped Jonny Marray take the Wimbledon doubles crown after Britain’s 76-year wait.

Louis Cayer was inducted into the Canadian Tennis Hall of Fame in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the history of tennis in Canada.