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René Vidal

A bold change maker on a mission to turn adversity into competitive advantage.

“The hardest setback for me was the death of my father when I was thirteen years old. My entire life changed with one stroke. When I heard the news, I was dumbfounded. I had no clue what was going on, yet somewhere deep inside I did know. Life was about to get very difficult. I lost the greatest leader and mentor in my life. The whole game shifted.
 
I went from being a solid student and Ivy League prospect to attending three different New York high schools. I dropped from serving as a top 100 nationally ranked junior tennis player to a has-been overnight—having access to the best coaches, resources, and training academies to searching for hitting partners or the local backboard. My life became a total mishit.
 
When you experience devastating emotional and existential crises like this, every other kind of challenge pales in comparison. You become unstoppable by the mere fact that you are still breathing. Today, I’m on a mission to help others turn adversity into competitive advantage.”

René is one of America’s top coaches.

—Dick Gould, Stanford University

An accomplished Change Maker and entrepreneur, René has led four collegiate tennis programs to seven conference championships and transforms individual and team performance as founder and executive team coach at CAI.

In 2022, Coach Vidal led the little-known McKendree men’s team to its first-ever Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Championship, a school best 21-3 record, and a program best Top 25 (No.22) final ranking by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Bearcats advanced to the NCAA Regionals Round of 32 for the first time as Vidal earned GLVC Coach of the Year honors.

René launched his coaching career in 1993 as a sport science intern at the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA’s) Player Development Headquarters in Miami, Florida. He credits most of his professional success and personal growth to coaching mentors Bobby Bayliss (Notre Dame), Andy Brandi (Florida), Dick Gould (Stanford), and Rodney Harmon (Georgia Tech), along with several Wall Street-based business icons who took him under his wing as a twenty-something teaching pro.

Today, René’s core focus is improving individual and team performance to create sea change. His unique understanding of the psychology of winning and proven track of record of success developing leaders on and off the court led him to create Corporate Athletes International (CAI), a boutique executive coaching company helping clients gain competitive edge.

René is a frequent public speaker, known for his inspiring communication style and skill at keeping thing simple and actionable. He is the author of four top-selling books including Play Smart to Win, Play Smart to Win in Business, Execute to Win, and Down 40 Love. He also hosts the podcast Down 40 Love.

A New York native, René is the proud father of three sons, Angelo, Manny, and Alex. He lives in Chicago with his better half, Sara.

COACH VIDAL'S 5-POINT SYSTEM

1
Keep winning and losing in perspective.
2
Lead by example.
3
Value character as well as ability.
4
Go for respect over popularity.
5
Work hard and enjoy what you do.

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