Seventeen-year-old Winfried Weinbeer will next month take up a four-year tennis scholarship at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi.

The 6ft 2in Jamaican, born in Bavaria, Germany on March 4, 1991, has played in international tournaments all over the world, reaching the semi-finals in doubles in Guadeloupe and was also doubles quarter-finalists in Trinidad & Tobago with Lendl Smith, a Trinidadian.

"My choice to start at Alcorn University has many factors. Most importantly, my coach there Anthony Dodgen has tons of coaching experience for more than three decades and, apart from being a very successful tennis coach, is a very unique and warm person," said Weinbeer, who attended Lucea Prep and Rusea's High Schools.

"Many Jamaicans went to Alcorn and excelled in their professional careers. It is a university known for its business programmes which is ideal for me since I want to pursue a career in marketing and economics.

"Furtheron, Alcorn State University is a campus of excellence and an academic resort that won numerous athletic championships in men's and women's sports," he added.

However, according to Weinbeer, it was Alcorn that really chose him and he used the words of coach Dodgen himself.

"Alcorn State University chose Winfried because he is an excellent student and at the top of the class from a very respectable high school. We are also extremely excited about the level of skill that he brings with his tennis game as can be noted by his lastest accomplishment in winning the national tournament in Jamaica.

"It should also be noted that the family has good ties with Alcorn State University and many people here are familiar with him and hold high regard for the Weinbeer-Holding family. We are fortunate to have such a quality young man as Winfried Weinbeer coming to join our tennis programe and excel in college academics," Dodgen said.

Yet with nine CXC subjects, Weinbeer does not consider himself a genius: "In school I paid attention and went to the courts every day after school."

Weinbeer has won about 10 national tournaments "and the most memorable one was Mandeville in 2007 when I won the 16 and Under and 18 and Under Singles of the same event. I have not heard that somebody has done that in Jamaica before".

He got involved in tennis at the age 11 when he saw friends practising at a parking lot next to Lucea Prep. "It was there I started out and we all went to the 11 and Under competition in Kingston where I suddenly became second. There and then Mr (Douglas) Burke from Tennis Jamaica suggested to my mother to get strucutured training for me," he said.

Rusea's was very supportive to Weinbeer "and encouraging in many ways".

"They even allowed me to go to California for three months, where I got a training scholarship from Nirus Tennis Academy and allowed me to go and play tournaments during school time".
Weinbeer also played football and cricket and has won medals in track and field, but his love has always been tennis. "I concentrated on tennis, but I know I could have been a strong sprinter as well as a good footballer," he explained.

His mother Marion accompanied him to many a tennis tournaments, travelling the long distance from Lucea to Kingston, as there were very, very few junior players in Hanover. "It was hard for me even to find a hitting partner," he said.

"Without Richard Ferdinand, the tennis director from the Tryall Club in Hanover, I could not have succeeded in pursuing a career in tennis. He laid the foundation for my tennis career and allowed me to train at Tryall. It is still my home court and I train there when I am in Jamaica. Many thanks also to the Tryall Tennis committee and management for that opportunity."

Winfried comes from a family with deep roots in sports. His great grandfather Artur Weinbeer was founder of the sports club in Lichtenfels where he was born and was chairman for 62 years "until my grandfather took over and is still the chairman. He was very successful in track and field as well as gymnastics".

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