Sport | Tennis

Burwash is Tennis News Person of the Year

Peter Burwash, 61, of Carmel Valley, California, generally recognised as the premier global tennis coach to millions, has been named the Tennis News Person of the Year.

  • Staff Report
  • Published: 00:00 January 18, 2007
  • Gulf News

Dubai: Peter Burwash, 61, of Carmel Valley, California, generally recognised as the premier global tennis coach to millions, has been named the Tennis News Person of the Year.

The announcement was made by Bob Larson, publisher of Daily Tennis News earlier this week.

Burwash established Peter Burwash International in 1975, which currently runs fulltime tennis programmes at 64 hotels and clubs in 33 countries, employing nearly 100 professionals from 23 countries.

Earlier this year a PBI pro gave the three millionth tennis lesson as part of PBI. PBI pros are noted for their excellent training and teaching skills, outstanding personal appearance and dedicated to the principle that service is a noble calling.

Burwash, a former NHL draftee hockey player had a career-ending injury that switched his attention to tennis and has since played and coached in 135 countries, more than anyone in the history of the game.

Teaching concepts

In the late 1970s and early '80s, Burwash visited the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman and helped educate local officials on the importance of organising their tennis associations locally and then joining the ITF, which they have since done.

Burwash's philosophy is that "if you can't come to us, we'll come to you", and therefore has travelled over 200 days a year and averaged 250,000 air miles each year for the past 40 years, as a player and coach, to tirelessly grow the game for the benefit of millions of tennis players on six continents.

Burwash's teaching concepts are highly accepted and used at the pro level as well as PBI sites around the world.

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