Eugène Lapierre had been thinking about giving up his place at the National Bank Open for a few years now and he had known for a long time that Valérie Tétreault was the perfect candidate to succeed him.
Monday, the first day of the 2023 tournament was the occasion of the official passing of the baton, Lapierre being honored during a cocktail bringing together many dignitaries, but also most of those who rubbed shoulders with him during his 22 years at the helm. of the tournament.
At the time of the balance sheets, this non-conformist also insisted on greeting his collaborators. “I have been fortunate to work with some amazing people. I’m not an expert in anything, but they are, and we’re a great team.
“What I remember from those years is first and foremost the pleasure we had working together. I will always remember the bursts of laughter during our work meetings in February, when we tried to come up with ideas, which most of us ridiculed on the spot, but which we found very good a few weeks later. ! »
More seriously, Lapierre spoke about the future of the tournament. The rain of the day notably allowed him to take stock of the stadium roof file. “The pandemic changed everything,” he recalled. Before COVID, we were almost there, we were about to have agreements for public funds, insisting on the importance of standing out on the international scene in order to negotiate long-term agreements with the WTA and ATP.
“The situation is completely different today. On the one hand, I haven’t looked at the numbers, but surely the cost of a roof has become prohibitive; on the other, we have renegotiated 30-year agreements with the WTA and the ATP, and also with the City of Montreal. We will continue to study this file, but it is not current. »
Anyway, the hero of the day was not unhappy to leave it to Tétreault to manage a first day of the tournament disrupted by the rain. “Those are always ‘interesting’ days,” Lapierre recalled, thinking of all those days he and his team had to come up with a thousand scenarios.
The new tournament director joked that she had spent part of the afternoon “in a small ball under her desk”, but her mentor is confident that she will be able to handle any situation.
“I had her on my radar for ten years, since she worked with us and she was already showing great leadership qualities. She doesn’t jump on tables, but when she talks, everyone listens. She inspires confidence, and I have been validating my important decisions with her for quite some time now when I feel the need. You will love it! »
And far from bowing out, Lapierre will continue to be involved in issues close to his heart, the development of tennis in Quebec, of course, but also the way to improve major international tournaments, within a WTA committee.