Doug Philpott

Since 1991, the Philpott Children’s Tennis Fund has helped introduce Toronto’s inner-city children to tennis. Founded out of a desire to honour the memory of Doug Philpott – one of the great folk heroes of Canadian tennis – the Fund provides free lessons, from qualified coaches and instructors, to kids deep in the heart of Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods. Here, coaches teach not only the basics of the game, but also help participants learn valuable life lessons about discipline, cooperation and self-confidence.

Philpott himself, although involved at the very highest echelons of tennis in Canada, was as much at home teaching young beginning players, as he was rubbing shoulders with the great super stars of his day like John Newcombe or Arthur Ashe.

The Philpott Fund keeps his outlook alive through its programs: welcoming children ages 5 to 15 to participate in lessons, and encouraging young tennis-fans to volunteer on court – a path that can lead to exciting summer employment.