The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

KEVIN Major Jr, back home for the summer break from college, clearly remembers when he and Jonathan Taylor represented the Bahamas in 2008 at the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India.

"It's a great deal to be able to represent your country because games like those only come around once every so often," said Major Jr about the sixth edition of the games that will begin today in the capital.

"So just to be able to play in it is an accolade within itself and just to experience other sports, other cultures in one week from a country that you may never get to go to."

Major Jr, now 22, was 14 at the time and Taylor was 16. The duo both lost in the first round of singles and they also got ousted in the same round in doubles. But he said he had a lot of fun. "It's so fortunate that as a 14-year-old, we had an umpire, linesmen and ball boys," Major said. "I know we got a lot out of the experience."

But Major Jr said it's a big deal to be competing at home.

"Anytime you get to play in front of our home crowd, it's a big deal, especially for me," he said. "So I hope the athletes on the team will take advantage of this rare opportunity."

Almost a decade since he and Taylor carried the Bahamian flag in men's tennis, 22-year-old Major Jr is now enrolled in college where he just completed his freshman year at Seminole State College.

As a member of the Trojans men's tennis team, Major Jr compiled a 20-3 win-loss record in singles in the regular season.

However, he had to miss the team's playoffs due to an injury. "Next year, we should be able to win our conference title," he projected. "We had a pretty good team this year, but we missed it. I think we will be better next year."

Major Jr said his rookie season has been all that he expected and more. "Playing at level is different. It's a lot harder because you are playing against players who are much more aggressive," he reflected. "They are always fighting right to the end."

As he had just enrolled in college on an athletic scholarship, Major Jr had to skip the trip for the first round of the American Zone III Davis Cup tie where the Bahamas played in zone II in Bolivia in April, losing 4-1 to get relegated to zone III for 2018.

"I asked my coach to let me go, but he said I couldn't," Major Jr said. "It was quite disappointing making the team and not getting to compete. But hopefully I can play next year."

Looking at the performances of the team, Major Jr said it's obvious that the players have to be in tip-top shape in order to play the gruelling five set matches in Davis Cup. "We haven't been there in a long time and the guys we played had a little more experience than us," Major Jr stated. "We didn't get beat by skills. The other guys were just a little more experienced. But next time for sure, I know we will do it."