JAMAICA’S young tennis player Alyssa James is currently at an all-expense paid International Tennis Federation (ITF) Caribbean regional training camp at the Tennis Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

James left the island on Sunday for the camp which runs from Monday through to Friday.

Ten-year-old James is a grade six student at Hillel Academy and she was accompanied by her coach Tinesta Rowe, a former Jamaica tennis representative, and her mother Julie James.

The ITF Training Camp is expected to be attended by eight boys and eight girls from the Caribbean region who were selected based on their performances during the last year in both the ITF and COTECC Tournaments.

James’ invitation was vetted by John Goede, who is the Caribbean ITF Development Officer.

According to Goede, the training camp forms part of its commitment to assist in the overall development of the most talented junior players in the Caribbean.

He said he has seen James in action on many occasions, and said she is a very promising player at her age and it’s important that she gets the necessary training to develop into a better player.

The camp is under the capable direction of professional tennis instructors Gustavo Granitto, Cecilia Ancalmo and Goede.

He indicated that the participants should be receiving a high-level training in all key areas of the sport, and an assessment report to assist in their future development will also be included.

“The players will not be focusing only on one aspect of their development but will be building on every aspect of the game, such as their serves, movements, smashes, returns, along with fore and backhand shots,” Goede explained.

He added that apart from their training at the camp, the players should be participating in a singles tournament to see what they have learnt and achieved during the five-day camp.

Goede has been in the Caribbean for the past 20 years and has visited at least 25 countries and assisted in the development of promising young players through their tennis associations. He was appointed ITF development officer for the Caribbean in 2013 and was former national coach of Suriname from 1996-2003.

Meanwhile, James, who turns 11 next February, is ranked Jamaica’s number one player in the 14 and under age group.

She has won numerous singles titles both in local and international tournaments, including the Florida leg of the Little Mo International Tennis Tournament in 2016 and 2017.

She recently competed at the All-Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships where she won the girls’ 14-and-under singles title, and reached the semi-finals of the girls’ 18- and-under singles, but lost to eventual champion and top seed Michaela Stephens.

“I am excited to attend the ITF camp and willing to work hard to benefit from the experience, and I expect to receive excellent training and work on my technique, strategy and fitness,” she said.

“Playing with other top players from the region will help me to adapt to different styles of play and to boost my confidence to achieve my short-term goal of performing well in top international tournaments such as the Orange Bowl and Eddie Herr,” she added.