Sam Unrau has been named Tennis Canada Officiating Rookie of the Year for 2016. The award, voted on by officiating coordinators across Canada, recognizes an official who is in their first two years of officiating.
Unrau became the first known physically disabled official to officiate in an International Tennis Federation (ITF) event in Canada when he worked the 2016 National Bank Challenger at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. In 2015, Unrau was the tournament director for Tennis Manitoba and served as a roving official at local events. Unrau is ranked No. 21 in Canada in men’s wheelchair singles.