The Store Behind Canada's Racquet Sports Obsession

The company didn't start with a grand launch event or a splashy press release. It started the way most good things do: with two guys who genuinely loved the sport, knew the industry inside out, and got tired of watching Canadian players settle for less.

Two Guys, One Big Idea

The co-founders of Tennis Giant grew up on Montreal's courts. Not as hobbyists — as serious competitors. One played at the junior and university level, representing Canada on the national and international stage before eventually studying Sciences and Law. He paid his way through school teaching and coaching tennis, which meant he'd spent thousands of hours on both sides of the net — as a player and as someone helping others get better. That experience gave him something no business degree could: a genuine feel for what players actually need from their gear.

His co-founder took a different path but arrived at the same place. After competing at a high level as a junior and varsity player, he went on to earn a Master's degree in Sport Psychology and spent years working with elite athletes on the mental side of performance. He'd opened his first pro shop all the way back in 2001, which means by the time Tennis Giant launched in 2017, he had close to two decades of retail experience already under his belt.

Put the two of them together and you get something rare in retail: people who actually know what they're talking about.

The question they kept coming back to was simple and a little bit frustrating: why couldn't Canadians get the same gear as players in the United States? The selection was thinner. The prices were higher. The experience at most shops felt like an afterthought. They decided to do something about it.

Starting Inside the Clubs

Before there was a warehouse, a showroom, or a website, there were three pro shops.

Tennis Giant's early footprint lived inside some of Montreal's most respected private tennis clubs — including the Mount Royal Tennis Club and the Nun's Island Tennis Club, which happens to be the largest indoor tennis facility in North America. These weren't temporary setups. They were full-service pro shops designed to give everyday club players access to great equipment, proper stringing, and the kind of advice you only get from someone who's played the sport seriously.

By 2016, those three locations were thriving. But running three separate shops with no real unified system was getting complicated. Inventory lived in different places. There was no clean way to track what was selling where. Scaling felt harder than it needed to be.

So in 2017, everything got pulled together under one name — Tennis Giant — along with a proper distribution warehouse, a newly launched online store, and a vision that extended well beyond Montreal.

What It Looks Like Today

Tennis Giant's headquarters in Ville Saint-Laurent, Quebec isn't what most people picture when they think "tennis shop." The facility spans 30,000 square feet and houses a full warehouse, a proper showroom, and — this is the part that surprises people — actual indoor courts for tennis, pickleball, and badminton.

That last part matters more than it sounds. Being able to demo a racquet on a real court before you buy it is a genuinely different experience from swinging one in an aisle. It's the kind of thing you'd expect at a high-end club, not a retail store. Tennis Giant built it in anyway, because the founders knew that's how players actually make good decisions about their gear.

The flagship is located at 6155 Route Transcanadienne, Saint-Laurent, QC H4T 1S3, open Monday through Friday 10 AM to 6 PM and weekends 10 AM to 3 PM. And they still run multiple pro shop locations inside private tennis clubs across the city, so the original spirit of the business — showing up where players already are — hasn't gone anywhere.

When the pandemic hit and those physical locations had to close, the business ran entirely online for about 18 months. That it worked at all was a function of how seriously the team had taken their Shopify infrastructure. Nearly 200,000 transactions later, revenue has more than doubled since launch.

The Brands on the Shelves

Tennis Giant is an authorized Canadian retailer for the sport's biggest names. That authorization matters — it means customers are getting legitimate product, full manufacturer support, and access to the same gear stocked by pro shops anywhere in the world.

On the racquet side, the lineup reads like a who's who of the industry:

Babolat has been making tennis strings since 1875 and racquets since the 90s. The Pure Drive and Pure Aero lines are among the best-selling frames on the planet — Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Leylah Fernandez all swing Babolat. Wilson is one of the most storied names in sport, with the Pro Staff and Clash series trusted by professionals for decades. Head builds frames for aggressive players who want precision and pace — the Speed and Prestige lines are staples on the tour. Yonex brings Japanese craftsmanship to every racquet, with a reputation for playability and feel that's earned them a loyal following worldwide.

Beyond those four, Tennis Giant also carries Tecnifibre, Dunlop, Solinco, and Volkl — rounding out a selection broad enough to suit every playing style, from the weekend club player to the serious competitor who's very particular about their string pattern.

Apparel comes from the brands players already wear: Nike, Adidas, Babolat, Fila, Lacoste, Yonex, Asics, Lotto, Wilson, and New Balance for men, women, and juniors. Footwear covers hard court, clay, and indoor surfaces from Nike, Adidas, Asics, Babolat, Head, Yonex, New Balance, and K-Swiss.

And then there's the Tennis Giant in-house label — their own line, developed to fill real gaps in the market with solid quality at prices that don't require a second mortgage.

It's Not Just Tennis Anymore

The name says Tennis Giant, but the store has quietly become one of the better places in Canada to gear up for four other sports as well.

Pickleball has taken off in a way nobody fully predicted, and Tennis Giant has been stocking paddles, balls, and accessories long enough to actually know the category. Badminton has a deep, passionate community in Quebec — Tennis Giant carries racquets, shuttlecocks, strings, and footwear for players at every level. Squash players can find racquets, eyewear, and gear suited to both casual and competitive play. And padel, which has been massive in Europe for years and is finally getting serious traction in Canada, is well represented on the shelves.

Five sports, one store. For players who bounce between disciplines depending on the season or who they can get on a court — that breadth is genuinely convenient.

Who's Actually Shopping There

The honest answer is: all kinds of people.

The parent picking up a first junior racquet for a kid who just started lessons. The club member who's been playing for 20 years and knows exactly which string tension they want. The competitive junior preparing for their next provincial tournament. The pickleball convert who needs a paddle recommendation from someone who actually plays the game. The coach outfitting an entire academy program.

Tennis Giant has also become the official retailer for the National Bank Open, Canada's biggest professional tennis tournament. A 6,000-square-foot retail setup at the event means thousands of fans get a real Tennis Giant experience — not just a booth with a few products, but the full range of gear from all the major brands, at a venue where people are already thinking about tennis.

The partnership with Tennis Québec extends that community focus province-wide, with discounts for affiliated clubs and members helping make quality gear accessible to more players across Quebec.

Why It Works

There's no shortage of places to buy a tennis racquet online. What Tennis Giant offers that most of those places don't is the combination of actual expertise, physical courts to try things out, a genuinely wide selection across all five racquet sports, and a team that grew up playing the games they're selling gear for.

It doesn't feel like a transactional experience. It feels like talking to someone who cares whether you end up with the right racquet — because the people behind the counter usually do.

For a country that has been producing world-class tennis talent and is watching racquet sports grow faster than almost any category in amateur athletics, that kind of retailer was overdue.

Shop online at tennisgiant.com or visit the showroom at 6155 Route Transcanadienne, Saint-Laurent, QC H4T 1S3. Reach the team at 1-888-247-4220.

Tennis Giant is Canada's largest racquet sports retailer, serving players across tennis, pickleball, badminton, squash, and padel from its headquarters in Ville Saint-Laurent, Quebec.