London | Obituary – Peter Burwash (1945 – 2022)

Peter Burwash, who was an influential manager and coach, died in Carmel, California on 7 July at the age of 77.

Peter was a great person on every level. Peter was a very principled person. He told me he never once took any kind of intoxicant. He didn’t smoke. He didn’t drink. He didn’t even swear. And, he required the tennis pros in his organisation to also forgo smoking, drinking, and other intoxicants 24/7. Jill Clayton, Burwash’s Administrative Assistant

A former Canadian player, Burwash won 19 singles and doubles titles before becoming one of the world’s most influential tennis entrepreneurs and coaches.

Burwash earned a physical education degree at the University of Toronto, where he played both ice hockey and tennis.

He was a touring tennis pro from 1968 to 1975, and was one of the ATP founders in 1972 before he founded Peter Burwash International (PBI), a leading tennis management company.

PBI was the first of its kind in the racket sports industry, and for decades remained the largest tennis management company in the world.

With PBI, Burwash introduced new standards to the teaching industry and introduced a new generation of tennis coaches to the game.

He encouraged professionals to model the highest professionalism and customer service, and urged them to inspire and improve the lives of everyone they touch on a court.

PBI professionals have taught more than 4 million players in 134 countries and, as early pioneers of the game, introduced tennis for the first time to over a dozen countries.

Peter Burwash's PBI professionals have taught more than 4 million players in 134 countries and, as early pioneers of the game, introduced tennis for the first time to over a dozen countries.

Burwash was a United States Professional Tennis Association Master Professional and widely considered one of the world’s top tennis coaches.

He gave workshops to coaches at conferences for the USTA, USPTA, in Europe, Middle East and Asia.

He and his coaching teams have worked with numerous ATP and WTA players, including Venus and Serena Williams, Leander Paes, Greg Rusedski, Andrew Sznajder, and Canadian Sébastien Lareau when he won the gold medal in doubles with countryman Daniel Nestor at the 2000 Olympics, as well as Davis Cup and Federation Cup teams.

Whether as an author, television commentator or instruction editor, Burwash gave insight and added enjoyment to tennis players everywhere.

His book “Tennis For Life” has been an industry best-sellers and translated into several languages.

For 27 years, he was a colour commentator with CBC & TSN, hosted tennis radio series on CBS radio as well as a Celebrity Tennis Program on CBC-TV, and also served as an editor instructor for Tennis Magazine for over 25 years.

Burwash also used his experience as a motivational speaker to influence the health, hospitality, business and travel industries.

During his 50-year legacy, as a player, coach, coach of coaches, speaker, entrepreneur, author, editor, commentator and traveller, Burwash inspired a global tennis community and leaves a lot of meaningful memories in many tennis hearts across the globe.

His diversity and selfless service to tennis, and the people he met, made him an exceptional personality in the tennis industry.

“Peter was a great person on every level,” said Jill Clayton, Burwash’s Administrative Assistant from 2007 to 2019. “Peter was a very principled person.

“He told me he never once took any kind of intoxicant. He didn’t smoke. He didn’t drink. He didn’t even swear.

“And, he required the tennis pros in his organisation to also forgo smoking, drinking, and other intoxicants 24/7.”

Burwash, who had been inducted into 6 Hall of Fames, passed away in his hometown of Carmel, California, and is survived by his wife, Lynn, and their daughters Kimberley and Skyler.

Peter Burwash – born 10 February, 1945 / died 7 July, 2022.