The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association will be gearing up for their annual Giorgio Baldacci Tennis Tournament next month at the National Tennis Centre.

The event, held in memory of the late Baldacci, a benefactor of the BLTA and the majority of tennis players, will serve as the trials for both the Davis Cup for men and the Fed Cup for women.

This year, the federation is hoping that all of the top players in the country, including those competing in college and in the professional ranks, will be home to participate.

One of them already indicating that he will be competing in the men’s division is Kevin Major Jr. After missing the past two years, Major Jr has consented that he will be back this year. Major Jr, 23, will be coming home with a couple victories in tournaments in the United States Tennis Association, a level that prepares players for the International Tennis Federation.

Before coming home for the tournament, Major Jr will be participating in two ITF Tournaments in the Dominican Republic starting on November 21.

Last year, after a brief hiatus, we saw the return of Kerrie Cartwright, Danielle Thompson and Grand Bahamian Simone Pratt and they all went on to make a contribution to the Fed Cup team.

Hopefully, Major Jr will be able to do the same with the Davis Cup team, having played a vital role in the team’s success before he took a break to finish college and prepare for his pro career.

Ultimately, if the Bahamas continues its rise up the ladder in Davis Cup from Zone III back to Zone I, it’s going to be important to get at least one or two players participating on the pro circuit.

It’s been a while since the Bahamas has had a player with any international exposure. Hopefully, this year, in addition to Major Jr, the BLTA will also see Justin Roberts come home to participate.

Roberts, who was the only Bahamian player with an ATP computer point before he suffered an injury, is now healthy again and could make a contribution to the Davis Cup team in the future.

With his 22nd birthday coming on December 4, Roberts played in his last tournament in Norman, Oklahoma in a USA F31 Futures on November 11-12.

He’s been on a steady roll over the past few years, but the BLTA is still looking to see Roberts make his debut in the year-ending tournament. It would be good to see Major Jr and Roberts, along with Philip Major Jr, brothers Baker and Spencer Newman and veteran player/coach Marvin Rolle expected to lead the charge.

Bay Street Mile

The organising committee should be commended for the staging of the second Shaunae Miller-Uibo Bay Street Mile that was held on Saturday.

The early morning riser attracted more than 700 competitors in the 19-and-under age group to the open category for male and female.

What was impressive was the set up from the starting line in front of the straw market on Bay Street to the Bahamas Football Association’s beach soccer facility at the foot of the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge.

Organisers had the entire route properly lined out with barricades and cones to produce a designated lane just for the competitors to compete in and avoid the traffic.

To add to the flair, Miller-Uibo was joined by fellow Bahamian Jeffery Gibson and her training partners Great Britain’s quarter-miler Matthew Hudson-Smith, Jamaican 800m runner Natoya Gould and American high hurdler Jason Richardson.

Miller-Uibo, 24, used the event to give back to the Coaches Association, which is now headed by her father, Shaun Miller, as a tribute to the work they do in assisting athletes like herself to advance in the sport.

It’s uncertain if the event will continue next year, but Miller-Uibo and her committee has certainly shown what could be done to take the event to a higher level.

Congrats on a job well done.