Regardless of the first name (Louis for civil status or Luigi in the world of tennis), the name of Borfiga has been present in every discussion with Gilles Moretton since his enthronement at the head of the French Tennis Federation on February 13. .
Like a sesame.
A talisman.
After a fifteen-year exile in North America, the 66-year-old vice-president of elite development at Tennis Canada will be leaving his cabin in Montreal next fall to officially retire with his wife. Marie-Claude.
Finally see his parents and his son, whom he has only approached by videoconference since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
And continue as special advisor to share his experience with the new thinking heads of the FFT, in particular Nicolas Escudé, the interim national technical director (DTN) and Arnaud Clément, DTN referent vice-president, in charge of the high level, of training and competition.
“He is a man who speaks softly, but louder than anyone.
It's great never to see him raise his voice, but the message carries so much, ”summed up Eugène Lapierre, director of the Montreal tournament, during an early farewell session in February.
“He really wants to get involved in our project,” says Moretton, who talks with him almost every day.
And he has a world view.
He traveled the world to see what was being done in Australia, in the United States… ”
Borg Training Partner
A beautiful globe-trotting destiny for a man born on a small piece of the Rock.
Former 308th in the world, Borfiga defended the colors of Monaco, in the Davis Cup for nine years, and was crowned champion of France at 14, 16 and 18 years old.
At 22, he put an early end to his playing career to take a coaching position at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, where he regularly hits the ball with a certain Björn Borg.
Not far from Nice, where Moretton is studying sports with Yannick Noah.
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He then spent 21 years at the FFT, including 14 at Insep.
In the Bois de Vincennes, the one who actively participated in the hatching of the Canadians Raonic, Bouchard, Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov or Andreescu (winner of the US Open 2019), sees the young Santoro, Tsonga, Simon or Monfils ( who will succeed in the treble in Australia, Roland Garros and Wimbledon juniors in 2004).
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In 2006, Borfiga, a simple federal executive bordered in France, landed on the other side of the Atlantic with full powers and a clear project: to duplicate at a distance of 5,500 km what made the success of French tennis, in starting from a snow-white maple leaf.
Louis Borfiga will retire from Tennis Canada in the fall https://t.co/qiZBZN5l5n
- Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) February 15, 2021
He created a national center (Montreal) to bring together talents, regional poles (Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver), hired or trained high-level coaches and professionalized a discipline which until then had not been interested in the elite.
"Here, he left a coaching role to become a manager," confides Guillaume Marx, who started working with him at Insep in 2002, before joining him in 2007 in the land of poutine and pecan pie. (
Editor's note: pecan nuts
).
He got very, very good at finding solutions to everything.
He has a great ability to adapt.
However, he did not speak English very well and you have to know how to deal with all the players, in a federated country where power is not centralized like in France.
"
He revolutionized Canadian tennis
The result is stunning.
And the Canadian lease extends over the Indian summers.
Whatever the continent, Borfiga has a hobby: training.
By insisting on correct gestures from an early age and learning clay.
Even so far from the land of the Musketeers, he had four ocher courts built in Montreal to capture a surface that required tactical sense, regularity and physicality.
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"He is passionate about tennis, continues Marx, who coached Auger-Aliassime in tandem with another Frenchman, Frédéric Fontang, until November 2020. He is a man of convictions who knows where he wants to go and who is uncompromising with these things.
He is rigorous in setting up the organization.
But at the same time, he's flexible in his way of doing things and trusts people.
"
As a good specialist in import / export, "Luigi" is preparing to repatriate a certain idea of "French model", which he would therefore have taken in his luggage.
"It's just about reinventing little things," observes Marx, who should take part of the sequel at Tennis Canada.
His greatest strength, with his personality and his knowledge, is to manage to create a team spirit, which all people draw in the same direction.
Here he succeeded because he created the whole team.
His challenge will therefore be to mobilize everyone.
"
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