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Evan Mancer

What racquet sports have you competed in?

Tennis & Squash

What is your age?

I'm 27 years old (1999).

Tell us about your early years playing raquet sports.

I was about 6 the first time I ever hit a ball with a racquet. My mother and father had just finished playing tennis at the falcon lake courts and my dad let me hit a couple of balls as a reward for not causing trouble while they played. I remember him saying that it would take ten people on the other side of the court to give me a game. I took that as a tremendous complement until I realized that he meant it would take ten people because I sprayed my shots two courts in either direction.

I didn't start squash until I was 11 - mainly because the slow bouncing ball makes it a difficult sport to start - but once I did, it quickly became my top sport, even ahead of hockey. There was a fantastic junior program in Manitoba at the time. Charlie Booth, a world ranked player from Australia was living in Winnipeg and Gene and Bill Turk had just started coaching. On top of that, there was funding for good juniors to travel so it was a good time to be starting squash.

Why did you start playing?

I started playing tennis because my parents played. It seemed like it would be a lot more fun than watching. I went to one junior camp at the River Heights community club at age 8, but mainly I just played recreationally. Hockey was always the big sport for me back then and tennis was just for fun.

Who inspired you?

This is a tough question. I never watched much tennis on television when I was young so there wasn't any one player that I idolized. If I had to pick one individual, I would probably say it was an old school friend of mine named Austen. We were bitter competitors at every sport in those early years and from about age 10 to 14 we'd battle it out for hours almost every day at the Tuxedo Tennis Club. In fact, the only reason we'd ever miss a day is because occasionally we would get so over-competitive the day before that we literally had to take some time to stop hating each other. I was the best man at Austen's wedding in Toronto this summer, so hopefully I can say that we've finally put the rivalry behind us.

Who are your favorite players and why?

Boris Becker - and not just because people say there is a resemblance. In my mind, he brings the right kind of emotion and character to the game: lots of heart and always classy whether he wins or loses.

What are your career highlights?

As a junior, I reached the semifinals of the squash nationals in U14 and U16 and was ranked #3 in Canada. It was at this time that I began to believe that I may actually be a decent athlete. I think this is important for anyone trying to reach a high level in any sport. You have to believe you can do it.

My career highlight in tennis came as an adult when I became the #1 ranked player in Manitoba. It was an important achievement for me because I had never really played serious tennis as a junior. I was still a B player when I was 20. I improved a lot that summer though and ended up getting a scholarship in Florida, where I stayed for two years. At age 23, I finally broke through and became #1 in Manitoba.

Anything else you want to share?

I have been thinking about what goals I can set for myself in the two sports now. I think that the dream of achieving anything at a national level is pretty much dead, but I still have fun setting small goals at a provincial level. This year I have my sights set on becoming the top squash player.

Where do you play?

Winnipeg Squash Racquet Club & Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club.

What is your work?

At Investors Group. I am a Financial Planner

Peter Otto (owner)
312 Springfield Rd
Winnipeg, Manitoba
204-229-6025
peter@courtathlete.com