Richard Legendre
Major Accomplishments
Canadian Open tournament director from 1994-2000 and Tennis Canada vice-president in Montreal.
Directed the project of building the Jarry Park Tennis Centre, which included STADE IGA.
Represented Canada in Davis Cup action and had a career-high tennis ranking of world No. 232 in singles.
Played NCAA collegiate tennis at Florida State University in 1972 and 1973.
Biography
Richard Legendre has been a pillar of the tennis community in Quebec and in Canada for the past 35 years. Legendre first got noticed as a player when he dominated the Canadian junior rankings in 1971. He played on the professional tour for five years, reaching No. 220 in 1979. He then went on to coaching, working with Team Quebec in 1980 and 1981. From 1981-1985, he acted as Alcan and Molson Circuits director. As a road builder for the success of the international tours, he impressed Tennis Canada with his organizational skills and became head of the Montreal office in 1988. Instrumental in the spectacular job of turning the old Jarry Park into a world-class national tennis centre, he elevated the quality of the Canada Open to rank among the most popular stops on the pro tour. The results of his effort to promote and develop the sport in Quebec and in Canada have been tremendous.
During his career as coach of Team Quebec (1980-1981), he produced many top players and was the first full-time coach of this program. As director of the first international circuits (Alcan and Molson) from 1981-1986, he paved the way for many international tournaments in Quebec and in Canada.
As the director of Massé Legendre Communication, he was responsible for granting a major sponsorship to the Fédération Québécoise de Tennis, allowing the implementation of their present school program.
Legendre raised the status of the Canadian Open, which became a world-renowned event praised by the international governing bodies overlooking these tournaments. The Montreal event also broke numerous attendance records for a week-long event. The event has become an excellent development tool, as well as a premier promotional vehicle.
Legendre was the master craftsman in the transformation of the baseball stadium into a world-class tennis centre where the main purpose now is geared towards the development of athletes. Furthermore, this achievement was realized without any financing from the organization, with the costs being paid for by the different levels of government.
Legendre received several rewards, which include Best Organization by the ATP Tour and Greatest Site Improvement by the ATP Tour in 1997. He was also inducted into the Hall of Fame of Quebec Tennis as a Builder in 1998 and was voted Builder of the Year by Commerce Magazine in 1999. Legendre also received the Excellence Award for On-Site activities by the ATP Tour in 1999 and won Tournament of the Year from the WTA Tour in 1998.