Absence Makes Tétreault’s Heart Grow Fonder
January 29, 2009
It’s the phone call that every athlete hopes to receive at some point in their career, the one that tells them they have made the cut and are about to be part of something special.
Valérie Tétreault received that call just before the holidays from her Fed Cup captain Rene Collins informing her that she had been named to the Canadian squad for the Americas Zone Group I tie in Montreal.
“It was definitely a nice Christmas gift,” Tétreault beamed. “It is an honor to be asked to represent your country and tennis is an individual sport, so it’s great to be part of a team that is trying to accomplish something together.”
In fact, anytime the native of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec discusses the upcoming Fed Cup by BNP Paribas tie in ‘la belle province’, she struggles to contain her excitement. Tétreault, who is a quiet, reserved individual by nature, glows and smiles from ear to ear when she describes what it will be like to play in front of her notoriously vocal hometown crowd- almost as though she is visualizing it in her head.
“The atmosphere is going to be unbelievable!” Tétreault contemplated eagerly. “I am just so proud to have this opportunity to play in front of our amazing fans who are going to be a big part of our success.”
To hear Tétreault speak so enthusiastically about her craft is music to many an ear considering that, 10 months ago, the 21-year old was contemplating retirement.
After seeing her ranking jump 700 spots, from No. 936 at the end of 2005 to No. 236 at the end of the 2006, Tétreault was on the fast track to success. Unfortunately, she became weighed down by the expectations of being a player on the rise and ultimately stopped having fun on court because she put too much pressure on herself. In the spring of 2008, she headed to south of the border to compete in a six-week cluster of tournaments in Florida. One week into the trip, Tétreault reached the bottom of her barrel after losing in the opening round of a 25K Challenger in Palm Beach Gardens and decided to put a hold on her promising career.
“Tennis was finished for me at that point,” Tétreault recalled. “Starting in 2007, the results just stopped coming, I wasn’t improving anymore and I needed to change coaches.”
Thankfully, Tétreault experienced a change of heart after spending some time coaching kids at her local tennis club, realizing just how much she still loved the game.
“I had lost sight of how lucky I was to be able to play tennis for a living,” Tétreault admitted. “My time away allowed me to mature and learn to appreciate all the opportunities the sport gives me like being able to travel all over the world and play in special tournaments like Fed Cup.”
Tétreault slowly began her comeback last summer with new coach Jack Cinciripini in tow. Together, they worked hard on fitness, focused on improving her tactical approach as opposed to perfecting her strokes and she learned how to win matches again. She tested the waters of the Pro Tour for the first time in three months in the qualifying rounds of the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank at the end of July and officially announced her return in November at the Tevlin Challenger in Toronto. One week later, she reached the quarter-finals of the Saguenay National Bank Challenger and followed up that performance with a second round showing at the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, a Tier III Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event. In that span, she earned her first two victories over Top 100 players being Romania’s Edina Gallovits (no. 94) and Mathilde Johansson of France (no. 84). Tétreault gives due credit to her new coach with the pleasant revival of her tennis prowess.
“Jack doesn’t necessarily have an international reputation, but he was definitely the right fit for me,” Tétreault said. “I already knew him so we have built a good chemistry and he really believes in my abilities on the court.”
While Tétreault is focused on cracking the Top 250 by year’s end, she promises to enjoy her Fed Cup experience to its fullest alongside her good friends Stéphanie Dubois and Aleksandra Wozniak. The trio have grown up on the courts together and feel incredibly fortunate that they can team up to represent their country at such a prestigious event, especially at a time when all three are at the top of the game.
“It’s so fun to be able to share this with them because we will be that much more motivated to support and play well for each other.” Tétreault reflected. “I will be sure to bring all my intensity to our practice sessions so that they will be fully prepared for their matches and I am definitely going to be the biggest cheerleader!”
To show just how far they have come, Tétreault vividly recalls, as a 10-year old, playing the same provincial tournaments as Dubois and Wozniak in outdoor parks throughout Quebec, alluding particularly to the heated battles they would regularly engage in against one another.
“Those were the days,” Tétreault joked. “I don’t remember precise moments when I might have beaten them, but I know we played a lot of three-setters, so I guess I prepared them well for life on Tour!”
As content as Tétreault seems to have re-kindled her passion for tennis, it is safe to say that Canadian tennis fans will be just as happy to have such a gracious and unassuming competitor with a truly feel-good story, back in the fold.