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Former Canadian professional player, Olympic-level coach and longtime Tennis Canada executive to lead PTR’s global education and certification initiatives

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla., — The Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), the world’s largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals, has named Hatem McDadi as its new Director of Education, bringing one of Canadian tennis’s most accomplished players, coaches and administrators into a key leadership position overseeing the organization’s educational programs and professional development initiatives.

McDadi brings an extraordinary breadth of experience to PTR, with a career spanning professional tournament tennis, national junior championships, elite coaching, Olympic-level competition and nearly 25 years of senior leadership with Tennis Canada.

McDadi will lead the development, administration and continued advancement of PTR’s educational and certification programs, helping shape the professional development opportunities available to tennis and racquet sports coaches around the world. His responsibilities will include overseeing PTR’s Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 certification programs, developing educational content and career pathways, leading Coach Developer training, managing the Coach Development Center and webinar series, and expanding educational opportunities for PTR, PPR, PCR and PPTR members. He will also play an important role in coordinating educational activities in Canada and Mexico, strengthening member engagement, developing mentoring initiatives and creating opportunities to increase course participation and sales. McDadi will replace the position previously held by Isaac McBroom, who left the organization to pursue other opportunities.

“Education is at the heart of the Professional Tennis Registry’s mission, and Hatem McDadi brings an exceptional combination of playing, coaching and organizational leadership experience to this important position,” said PTR CEO Lynne Rolley. “His background at Tennis Canada, his understanding of high-performance player development and his experience building programs and systems will be tremendous assets as PTR continues to elevate the education, certification and professional development of coaches worldwide.”

McDadi’s tennis credentials date back to an accomplished junior and professional playing career. He won the Canadian Under-18 Boys Outdoor National Singles Championship in 1982 and captured the Under-18 Boys National Indoor Doubles Championship in both 1981 and 1982. He was ranked among Canada’s top 10 players from 1983 through 1988 and reached career-high ATP world rankings of No. 226 in singles and No. 188 in doubles in 1985.

Following his playing career, McDadi established himself as one of Canada’s leading coaches. He served as Canada’s Fed Cup coach from 1992 to 1998 and coached prominent Canadian players Daniel Nestor and Rene Simpson. He was also part of Canada’s coaching staff at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where Nestor and Sébastien Lareau captured the gold medal in men’s doubles. McDadi’s coaching excellence was recognized with Tennis Canada’s Coaching Excellence Award in 1997.

In 1999, McDadi joined Tennis Canada full-time as Director of Player Development. He was promoted to Vice President of Tennis Development in 2004 and subsequently served as Senior Vice President, becoming one of the organization’s most influential leaders over nearly a quarter-century.

During his tenure, McDadi played an important role in the development and evolution of Canada’s national player-development infrastructure, including the National Tennis Centre, regional under-15 training programs, grassroots tennis initiatives and high-performance coaching systems.

His leadership years coincided with a remarkable period of growth and achievement for Canadian tennis, including Bianca Andreescu’s historic 2019 US Open singles championship and Canada’s first Davis Cup title in 2022.

McDadi announced his retirement from Tennis Canada in September 2023, with a consultancy role continuing through June 2024.