TENNIS Jamaica President John Azar is expecting the return of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) M15000 World Tennis Tour Futures series to Jamaican shores to act as another catalyst for the development of the sport, with over 400 professional players from all across the globe descending on the island during the event.

The tennis boss is also hoping that this will signal deepening collaboration between his Administration and global regulators ITF, with the ambition of over 20 weeks of international tennis being played in Jamaica on a yearly basis in the near future.

Set to be staged at Liguanea Club and Eric Bell National Tennis Centre on May 13, 20 and 27, the series, which was last hosted in Jamaica in 2003, will bring high-class tennis to the country while providing valuable experience and opportunities for local players to challenge themselves against top-quality opposition from around the world while hunting valuable world ranking points.

“I think it is a fantastic opportunity; the first time in 21 years that international tennis like this will be hosted here in Jamaica, and we are very proud of it. It gives a fantastic opportunity to our local players to gain valuable world ranking points, and [it’s] a great opportunity for tennis fans and sporting fans to come out and watch world-class tennis. And it’s obviously a great opportunity for Jamaica with over 150 people coming into the island on each of the three weeks; many of them have never visited Jamaica before, and I think that this is a win-win all around and a great example of sports tourism,” Azar told the
Jamaica Observer at the event’s launch at Liguanea Club on Saturday.

Blaise Bicknell, ranked 309 in the world, is the top seed in the tournament and will lead the Jamaican efforts. John Chin, Daniel Azar, Jeremy Miller, David Goldsmith,and 19-year-old Jamie Cephas are the other Jamaicans who will compete on the opening day of action.

Azar believes the hosting of the competition can also serve to inspire upcoming and potential players.

“In the first week we have six Jamaicans taking part in the tournament, and maybe if it wasn’t [held] here then only one of them would have gained automatic qualification in the main draw so that opportunity is excellent. Also, whenever you have events they remember where they were, they remember who played, and we are hoping that there will be youngsters here over the next few weeks who will watch and be inspired to commit to the game and their training, and they can look back and say that this provided the inspiration for that extra step,” said Azar.

Meanwhile, Jamaica Olympic Association President Christopher Samuda welcomed the hosting of the event and encouraged local sporting administrations to strengthen their partnership with their respective international bodies with the aim of providing more opportunities for local sportsmen and women.

“We have always encouraged that our member associations should attempt to bring international tournaments and championships to Jamaica. We want to transform Jamaica into a Mecca for international events and conferences — and that is one of our strategic objectives. This is excellent, and we encourage Jamaicans to come out and support so that we can demonstrate that we have the technical expertise and the fanbase to support a successful event,” Samuda stated.

Matches are expected to commence at 9:00 am each day and spectators will be able to watch and support at both venues for free.