Peter Burwash
Encyclopedia
Peter Burwash is Canadian former tennis player, and current tennis coach, television commentator, motivational speaker and writer.
for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues from 1963 through 1967, earning a Bachelor of Physical Education
degree. He was OUAA singles champion in tennis in 1963-4 and 1965-6 as well as member of back-to-back OUAA and CIAU
hockey champions in 1965-6 and 1966-7. Several internet biographies of Burwash mention his having been selected in the NHL draft by the St. Louis Blues ice hockey club, but he is not listed as ever having been drafted by the Blues.
in early August, 0-6, 9-7, 3-6, 5-7 to Dick Stockton
. Three weeks later at the inaugural U.S. Open
, Burwash lost his opening main draw match soundly to Bob Lutz, 1-6, 1-6, 3-6.
. Burwash also played in the doubles main draw in Cincinnati where, with partner Stanley Pasarell, he lost in the first round.
The following month, Burwash played in the Canadian Open for the first time where after a first round bye, he lost to Brian Fairlie
6-2, 1-6, 0-6, 1-6. In doubles, he reached the second round partnering American Rudy Hernando.
Two weeks later, at his second U.S. Open, Burwash was soundly beaten by Jim Osborne
, 2-6, 2-6, 2-6. Again partnering Hernando in doubles, the pair lost their opening match by exactly the same score, to the British pair of Mark Cox and Peter Curtis.
In October at the Barcelona Outdoor, Burwash lost in straight sets to Australian Allan Stone
in singles. In doubles, he also lost in the first round, in 5 sets.
tie for Canada
, winning a dead rubber against Caribbean Davis Cup team player Leo Rolle, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. (Rolle, incidentally, had a career Davis Cup record of 0 wins, 22 losses). Canada won the North and Central America Semi-Final tie, played in June, 5-0.
In his only tournament main draw singles action for the year, at the U.S. Clay Court Championships in July, Burwash lost in the first round, to Terry Addison, 2-6, 3-6. He played one main draw in doubles, at the U.S. Open, again with partner Rudy Hernando, and lost by default to Roy Emerson
and Rod Laver
.
3-6, 4-6 in singles, and partnering compatriot Ken Binns
, lost to Bob Lutz and Charlie Pasarell in doubles. At Forest Hills, he was beat by Milan Holeček
, 1-6, 0-6, 7-5, 4-6.
Burwash won the third annual Omnium de Tennis Labatt du Québec played at the Club de Tennis des Loisirs de Granby
defeating Rudy Hernando of Detroit in the final 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
. A week later at the U.S. Clay Court Championships, Burwash lost 1-6, 1-6 to Toshiro Takai. In doubles, he and partner William Higgins lost 2-6, 2-6 to Jim Delaney and James Chico Hagey. The following week at the Canadian Open, his last appearance there in a main draw, Burwash lost Jaime Fillol
6-7, 2-6, after a bye in the first round.
in the first round of the Louisville Outdoor but defaulted.
Burwash is an United States Professional Tennis Association master professional and has coached many tennis players, including Venus Williams
and Serena Williams
, Greg Rusedski
, and Sébastien Lareau
, when he won the gold medal
in doubles with Daniel Nestor at the 2000 Olympics.
(TSN) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC).
technology and believes that the current height of the net in men's professional matches could be raised a bit (similar to Men's Volleyball) to neutralise the power from the new technology and superbly fit and stronger players of this era.
for his mentoring and teaching of tennis. He was inducted into the University of Toronto
Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. He was also named winner of Tennis News
' Tennis Person of the Year 2006.
Early life
Burwash played both tennis and ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues from 1963 through 1967, earning a Bachelor of Physical Education
Bachelor of Physical Education
A Bachelor of Physical Education is a bachelor degree granted by some universities. In many Canadian universities it has been replaced by a Bachelor of Kinesiology. The degree can include topics such as sport science, coaching, and outdoor education..In India, Bachelor of Physical Education...
degree. He was OUAA singles champion in tennis in 1963-4 and 1965-6 as well as member of back-to-back OUAA and CIAU
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
hockey champions in 1965-6 and 1966-7. Several internet biographies of Burwash mention his having been selected in the NHL draft by the St. Louis Blues ice hockey club, but he is not listed as ever having been drafted by the Blues.
1968
Burwash lost in the first round of the U.S.T.A. National amateur championship of 1968, played at the Longwood Cricket ClubLongwood Cricket Club
Longwood Cricket Club is a tennis and former cricket club based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. It is the site of the first Davis Cup competition.-History:...
in early August, 0-6, 9-7, 3-6, 5-7 to Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton (tennis)
Dick Stockton , was a professional tennis player from the United States. He is currently the head coach of the men's tennis team at the University of Virginia....
. Three weeks later at the inaugural U.S. Open
1968 U.S. Open - Men's Singles
Arthur Ashe defeated Tom Okker 14-12 5-7 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the final to win the Men's Singles title at the 1968 US Open.-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below. Arthur Ashe is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.-Key:...
, Burwash lost his opening main draw match soundly to Bob Lutz, 1-6, 1-6, 3-6.
1969
Burwash won his only professional tour match in the opening round of the 1969 Cincinnati Outdoor, defeating American Roy Sprengelmeyer, 6-3, 6-4, who himself never won a tour match. Burwash then lost in the second round, 1-6, 4-6, to No. 9 seed Željko FranulovićŽeljko Franulovic
Željko Franulović is a former Croatian tennis player who competed for Yugoslavia, best remembered for reaching the final of the French Open in 1970 where he lost against Czech Jan Kodeš in straight sets...
. Burwash also played in the doubles main draw in Cincinnati where, with partner Stanley Pasarell, he lost in the first round.
The following month, Burwash played in the Canadian Open for the first time where after a first round bye, he lost to Brian Fairlie
Brian Fairlie
Brian Fairlie, born 13 June 1948 in Christchurch, is a retired tennis player from New Zealand. During his career from 1968 to 1979 he won four titles in doubles, all with the Egyptian player Ismail El Shafei, and two singles titles...
6-2, 1-6, 0-6, 1-6. In doubles, he reached the second round partnering American Rudy Hernando.
Two weeks later, at his second U.S. Open, Burwash was soundly beaten by Jim Osborne
Jim Osborne (tennis)
Jim Osborne , is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 5 Open Era doubles titles.-Doubles titles :...
, 2-6, 2-6, 2-6. Again partnering Hernando in doubles, the pair lost their opening match by exactly the same score, to the British pair of Mark Cox and Peter Curtis.
In October at the Barcelona Outdoor, Burwash lost in straight sets to Australian Allan Stone
Allan Stone
----Allan Stone played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as World No. 38 in singles on the ATP Rankings , although Stone played for many years before the ATP Rankings were instituted.Stone found the majority of his success on the doubles court...
in singles. In doubles, he also lost in the first round, in 5 sets.
1970
In 1970, Burwash played in his only Davis CupDavis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
tie for Canada
Canada Davis Cup team
The Canada Davis Cup team represents Canada in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by Tennis Canada.Canada currently competes in the Americas Zone of Group I. The team's best result came in its first appearance in 1913 when it reached the World Group final, losing to the United States 0–3...
, winning a dead rubber against Caribbean Davis Cup team player Leo Rolle, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. (Rolle, incidentally, had a career Davis Cup record of 0 wins, 22 losses). Canada won the North and Central America Semi-Final tie, played in June, 5-0.
In his only tournament main draw singles action for the year, at the U.S. Clay Court Championships in July, Burwash lost in the first round, to Terry Addison, 2-6, 3-6. He played one main draw in doubles, at the U.S. Open, again with partner Rudy Hernando, and lost by default to Roy Emerson
Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He is the only male player to have won singles and doubles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. His 28 Grand Slam titles are an all-time record for a male...
and Rod Laver
Rod Laver
Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
.
1971
Burwash competed in main draws at two events, the Canadian Open and the U.S. Open. In Montreal, he lost to Ismail El ShafeiIsmail El Shafei
Ismail El-Shafei was the Head of Egyptian Tennis Federation and Member of International Tennis Federation. El Shafei is the only Egyptian player to enter Top 40 in Grand Prix/ATP ranking history...
3-6, 4-6 in singles, and partnering compatriot Ken Binns
Ken Binns
----Kenneth K. "Ken" Binns is a former hardball squash player as well as tennis player from Toronto, Canada.Binns was runner-up to Sharif Khan at the North American Open in 1971...
, lost to Bob Lutz and Charlie Pasarell in doubles. At Forest Hills, he was beat by Milan Holeček
Milan Holeček
Milan Holeček , is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia, who retired in 1976. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 71 in singles on April 19, 1974.-Wins :-Wins :...
, 1-6, 0-6, 7-5, 4-6.
Burwash won the third annual Omnium de Tennis Labatt du Québec played at the Club de Tennis des Loisirs de Granby
Club de Tennis des Loisirs de Granby
The Club de Tennis des Loisirs de Granby is a prominent tennis venue in Canada. It annually hosts the Granby Challenger tournament and has hosted a Davis Cup tie....
defeating Rudy Hernando of Detroit in the final 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
1972
Burwash participated in the main draw in both singles and doubles at the Columbus Outdoor, losing to Charles Owens. In doubles he also lost in the first round, partnering Ian FletcherIan Fletcher (tennis)
Ian Fletcher is a former professional tennis player from Australia.Fletcher enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won 3 doubles titles.-Doubles titles :...
. A week later at the U.S. Clay Court Championships, Burwash lost 1-6, 1-6 to Toshiro Takai. In doubles, he and partner William Higgins lost 2-6, 2-6 to Jim Delaney and James Chico Hagey. The following week at the Canadian Open, his last appearance there in a main draw, Burwash lost Jaime Fillol
Jaime Fillol
Jaime Fillol is a former tennis player from Chile. He played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s.Fillol was ranked as high as world number 14 in singles on the ATP Rankings and number 82 in doubles .In the Open era , Fillol won seven singles titles and 15 doubles titles...
6-7, 2-6, after a bye in the first round.
1973
Burwash was entered in the main draw of two grand prix events. At the Calgary Indoor, held in February, he lost in the first round to Nicholas Kalogeropoulos 4-6, 3-6. In doubles Burwash partnered Franklin Robbins and lost in the first round as well. In August, Burwash as set to play John NewcombeJohn Newcombe
John David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of...
in the first round of the Louisville Outdoor but defaulted.
1974
Burwash lost by default to Bob Giltinan in the first round of the Calgary Indoor in what would be his last tour result. The computer rankings having been introduced only in September 1973, Burwash received his highest singles ranking in June, 1974, when he was ranked World No. 240. He never earned a doubles ranking, as they were not kept until 1978.After tennis tour playing days
After retiring from professional tennis, in 1975 he founded Peter Burwash International, a tennis management company that operates in 32 countries. He remains its president. PBI's original concept of "taking tennis to every part of the globe" has since become one of providing opportunities for service-minded individuals who have a passion for tennis and travel.Burwash is an United States Professional Tennis Association master professional and has coached many tennis players, including Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
and Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
, Greg Rusedski
Greg Rusedski
Gregory "Greg" Rusedski is a British Canadian former tennis player who turned professional in 1991 and played until his retirement on 7 April 2007, at the age of 33...
, and Sébastien Lareau
Sébastien Lareau
Sébastien Lareau is a former touring professional tennis player.-As a singles player:The right-handed Lareau achieved a career best singles ranking of World No. 76 in April 1995. In January 1999 he reached a career second best ranking of World No. 78. He had a career ATP tour event win-loss...
, when he won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in doubles with Daniel Nestor at the 2000 Olympics.
Writer and motivator
Burwash is the author of 10 books on topics such as nutrition, exercise, personal development, teenagers, service and leadership. One of his most recent books, The Key to Great Leadership (1998), discusses the qualities that Burwash believes constitutes a great leader. He currently tours the World giving motivational speeches and also owns several tennis camps. Burwash is also an instructional editor for Tennis Magazine and is a certified sport physiologist and nutritionist. His latest book Becoming the Master of Your D-A-S-H was released in May 2007.Broadcaster
Burwash has been a tennis TV commentator for The Sports NetworkThe Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
(TSN) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC).
Views on tennis
Peter is known as a strong supporter of the USTA's decision to allow players to challenge calls using Hawk-EyeHawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye is a complex computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. In cricket and tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers...
technology and believes that the current height of the net in men's professional matches could be raised a bit (similar to Men's Volleyball) to neutralise the power from the new technology and superbly fit and stronger players of this era.
Honours and awards
Burwash was awarded the Educational Merit Award by the International Tennis Hall of FameInternational Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
for his mentoring and teaching of tennis. He was inducted into the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. He was also named winner of Tennis News
Tennis News
-History:It has been owned and operated for nearly 20 years by Bob Larson and reports daily and hourly on the state of the game, the pro players and the industry. It features no editorial only hard news. Larson spends all day on the phone with tennis industry insiders and packaged up tennis. He...
' Tennis Person of the Year 2006.