Tennis Jamaica looking to rekindle local interest

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

The Hi-Pro Ace Supercentre Tennis Open, which was staged over five days at the Liguanea Club, serves as Tennis Jamaica's most significant stride towards realising its goal of qualifying players for the 2016 Olympics to be staged in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The tournament, which ended on Sunday and attracted some of the top tennis players in the island, as well as players from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and The Bahamas, saw the men vying for a cash prize of $500,000 and the women $100,000.

"Our long-term aim is to prepare a group of persons, who are youngsters now, who will mature into real champion players to represent the country in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil," Tennis Jamaica's President Aubyn Hill shared during a lull in Sunday's action due to persistent rain.

Jamaica has, over the years, seen some of its top players choosing to represent other countries due to a lack of opportunity locally or inadequate financial support. Hill is hoping that tournaments such as these will raise the profile of the sport locally and also encourage more players to continue representing the country at the senior level.

Making a change

"The reason why we did this (stage the tournament) is that Tennis Jamaica over the years has invested in our young people up to age 14, but when I took over I realised that there was nothing much for them to do after they reached 14," Hill shared. "If you get a scholarship and you go to the United States that is all right, but there is nothing more for a tennis player at that stage."

Hill added: "Why we put on this tennis event and put up prize money of $500,000 and made it open is so that we could have people from overseas coming to raise the level of the game and tell the 14- and 16-year-olds, who are very good tennis players, that there is a career in tennis, not just to play, but when you are finished playing you can be a coach or a tennis official."

Hill, who has been at the helm of the association for a year, admitted that something needed to be done to improve the women's game locally, as only three females competed in the tournament.

"The women's game at this time is not very strong. It needs to improve and we will seek to make that happen over a period of time."

The next tournament is slated for November 15-19 and Jamaica Boilers will be back on board as associate sponsors.

Jamaica Boilers Group Public Relations and Training Manager, Nicole Marshall-Walker, expressed her company's desire to partner with Tennis Jamaica in the realisation of its dream.

"It is going to take some time to build back the interest (in tennis), Marshall-Walker said. "Initially we signed on for just one year with the provision to be the title sponsors for the next three years.

"Tennis Jamaica has an aim that they are trying to build back the sport for the 2016 Olympics, we have not made a commitment thus far, but we are sure based on what we have seen here this year that something positive will work out, but we have not yet signed a contract," she added.