Feature photo: Mary and friends, Jen Cherneski, Irwin Tobias, Janice Holiway, and Cora Wills at this years Steve Stevens Masters Championships.
September 29, 2025
By Mary Potter – Manager, Administration, Communication & Member Services
Competition is often what draws us in, but if you ask a masters player why they’re still playing tennis, it’s the friendships. It’s the camaraderie of sharing a passion that’s the draw. No pun intended.
I’ve played masters tennis for over 25 years and the enjoyment is unmatched, especially compared to the pressure-cooker environment of junior tennis. When you turn 30—the first year of masters tennis eligibility—the stress vanishes. From there, it’s hello fun, fitness, and friendship (with, admittedly, some bragging rights on the line).
My favourite tournament, bar none, is the Steve Stevens Masters National Championships, organized by Tennis Canada’s Irwin Tobias. The tournament rotates between eastern and western Canada, most recently held at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club and four other Vancouver-area clubs. The tournament is expertly organized, and masters will readily admit that luxuriating in some of the most beautiful clubs in the country, including Alberta, is an enormous draw for any masters tournament. At this year’s event, I suffered a disappointing loss in the singles final of the Women’s 65+ category and realized I had been taking the whole “winning thing” way too seriously (completely against the Masters Motto!). However, with the help of my tenacious doubles partner and friend Cora Wills, we eked out the doubles title, playing several extremely close tie break sets. Overall, an exceptional week!
There are so many reasons to play masters tennis. Tournaments motivate me to practice and stay in shape. To show opponents what I’m made of–win or lose, I love the thrill of gutting it out to the very end. And the support of the community helps comfort the humiliating defeats or celebrate the brilliant wins. Whether it’s sobbing together over the missed drop shot or regaling the stunning overhead that won the match, the post-match beverage is always sweet. But the chance to earn a spot on the national team is the gravy. Travelling to exotic places such as Turkey and Portugal to represent Canada has been the icing on the cake!
If you’re eligible and not already playing, we want you to join our community! There are some fantastic masters tournaments coming up in Alberta, starting with the annual M200 ITF in January in Calgary. Then, Edmonton is excited to be hosting the Western Canadian Masters Indoor in April (dates TBA). There’s more events on the calendar, and even more along the way. For a full list of 2026 Masters events in Alberta, click here. And stay connected with us for future masters tennis announcements.
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