British-born tennis player has Jamaica in his sights

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Seventeen-year-old British tennis player Lewis Whiteley said he would jump at the chance to represent Jamaica in the near future, providing that all his financial needs are fully covered by Tennis Jamaica.

Whiteley, who was born in the United Kingdom to a Jamaican mother and British father, competed in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Championships at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre last week, on his second visit to the island.

"I would not discount playing for Jamaica, but it depends on the opportunities, training facilities and coaching that is provided to me," said Whiteley, whose mother hails from Westmoreland in western Jamaica.

"I love Jamaica because of the weather, the people are very friendly and I also have a lot of family living here, and I also love Jamaican music," he said. Whiteley attends a high-performance tennis centre in Marlowe in Buckinghamshire where he is also doing 'A' Level studies, following straight A passes in the nine GCE 'O' Levels last year.

Whiteley's father, Ian, also shared his son's views, but said they would have to sit down with Tennis Jamaica to iron out the details surrounding his son's future before he can represent Jamaica.

"We would have to sit down and see what are his (Lewis') ambitions are; but if the opportunity exists, then I think that he will be glad to play for Jamaica," said Ian.

"I don't think that he would discount representing Jamaica, but we would sit down with Tennis Jamaica and see what are the opportunities, because we are the ones who have been funding most of the trips around the world," he continued.

Whiteley senior added: "He only started training full-time last September because we wanted him to get a good education, so that he can get a tennis scholarship in the United States. So far, everything has been going great because he is a straight A student in school," he said.

Whiteley, who is ranked eighth in the United Kingdom in the Under-17 singles, has had an illustrious tennis career, which began seven years ago. He won the Road to Wimbledon Under-14 Championships held at the Wimbledon Club in southwest London in August 2007. Whiteley has also won the Tennis Europe Under-16 singles and doubles tournament in Greece, last August.

The powerful right-handed Whiteley has played ITF tournaments in Bulgaria, Scotland and Slovenia. He has also participated in tournaments in Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda.

However, despite Whiteley's good showing in Europe, illness prevented him from playing his best tennis last week.

"I am very glad with how things have gone so far in my career but I am a bit disappointed with how I played in this tournament, because I was very sick when I went on the court on Monday," Whiteley explained.

"I think I could have won this tournament because my game is as good as anyone else, and I am very confident in my abilities that I could have won it," said the soft-spoken Whiteley.