Irvin Cantor When he was home from the University of Virginia, Irv used to work for the Richmond Tennis Patrons Association at Byrd Park. “I realize that job I had for the RTPA for those three summers was the best I ever had,” the former Thomas Jefferson High No. 1 and state champion said.”It was so much fun. I wasn’t that much older than the players. Many of them are my lifetime friends.

After being a member of UVA’s varsity team from 1971-1975, Cantor ran large junior tournaments and clinics in conjunction with Richmond’s Parks & Recreation department. He was a City tournament co-director with Bill Correll in the late 1970s and early ’80s. It set the stage for years of often behind-the-scenes tennis contributions.

Irv served as legal counsel and co-promoter for an exhibition with Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors at the Richmond Coliseum in the 1980s, even flying to Philadelphia at the last minute to pick up the legendary lefty and bring him down I-95 for the event.

Irv kept expanding his involvement and served as co-director of WorldClass, Inc., where he promoted exhibitions around the country with players such as Borg, Connors, and Tanner. He also put together a pro tennis team for Best Products that included Richmond. nativesRodney Harmon, Mark Vines, and others.

Having been a ball boy at Byrd Park at age 15 when Arthur Ashe played Davis Cup there, Irv chaired a committee in 1992 to bring the Davis Cup finals to the Richmond Coliseum.

All along the way, Irv has stayed committed to growing tennis in Richmond. Since 2023, Irv has helped organize Tennis Under the Lights, the growing community summer series at Byrd Park and Battery Park. He is also currently working to bring a vision to life of public access indoor courts to benefit junior tennis at Byrd Park.

Irv is an active board member for the International Black Tennis Hall of Fame and today serves as the RTA’s vice president. In January 2026, Irv takes the reins as president—a wonderful full-circle moment, having worked for the organization five decades prior.