High-ranking Brown chides Tennis Jamaica

Dustin Brown became the highest ranked Jamaican ATP player ever after the latest rankings were released.

The 25-year-old Brown ascends nine places to be ranked number 132 in the world, eclipsing Richard Russell's 37-year-old mark of 140 achieved August 23, 1973.

Last week Brown got to the quarter-finals of the South Africa Open, an ATP World Tournament in Johannesburg, which equalled Douglas Burke's 1989 feat in Wellington, New Zealand. Burke's best ATP ranking was 175.

The Jamaican top seed, who is eying a top-100 spot with a view to gain automatic entry into the Wimbledon main draw this summer, told the Observer that he's aiming for continued improvement.

"No Jamaican player ever reached an ATP-tournament semi-final ... that is my next goal," an elated Brown said yesterday.

Brown continues to sharply criticise Tennis Jamaica, the local governing body for not supporting him during his rise and quest to become only the second Jamaican to play in a Grand Slam. Russell is the lone Jamaican, having played in the 1964 Australian Championship.

But the Caribbean island remains true to the heart of the 6'5" Brown, who was born in Germany.

"I gave interviews after my matches at the press conferences wearing my Jamaican T-shirt ... that went around the world. What an advertisement for Jamaica, and what do I get? nothing!" he said.

"It seems to me that Jamaicans never know who they have. Look back in Jamaican history for example (people like) Sam Sharpe and Marcus Garvey... nobody was interested while they were alive. Today, they are National Heroes. Even Bob Marley had a hard time... in the very beginning. Today Jamaica is proud of him," he added.

A longstanding tiff between Brown and Tennis Jamaica have seen the latter last representing his country in 2003. Tennis Jamaica, however, has expressed willingness to welcome Brown, who it claimed has demanded the sacking of its technical director Burke, but under its own terms and conditions only.

He has now accumulated 406 ATP points and requires a further 126 points before Wimbledon in order to break into the top-100 currently led by the great Roger Federer.

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