The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

After taking a site visit in October, top junior national team player Sydney Clarke has decided to enrol at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for her collegiate tennis career.

Clarke, 17, will not be making the trek to Birmingham, Alabama until the fall of August 2020. But she indicated that she’s delighted that she has completed her letter of intent and everything is all set.

“I felt it was the perfect fit for me after visiting the school in October and they had my major and everything,” said Clarke, who is expected to pursue a major in entrepreneurship and a minor in broadcast journalism.

“I feel comfortable with the team and the coach and I feel I can make an impact on this school. I just have to maintain my GPA (grade point average) of 3.6 or better. I feel I need more time to grow and develop as a player. I don’t feel the tour is the way for me to go right now.”

After she would have spent some time playing on the collegiate scene, Clarke said she’s confident that she will be in a much better state to make the transition to the pro ranks.

As a member of the UAB Blazers women’s tennis team, coached by Mark Tjia, Clarke said she expects to continue to train hard and play in as many tournaments on the professional circuit as she can to stay sharp.

The Bahamas’ number one junior female tennis player has been ranked as high as No. 261 in the world on the International Tennis Federation Junior circuit. She has six victories over US players currently in the top 100, according to tennisrecruiting.com and has won three ITF singles and three ITF doubles titles.

Clarke is also a two-time member of the Bahamas Fed Cup team - in 2017 and 2019.

She is also the defending champion of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Giorgio Baldacci National Open Tennis Tournament that will determine who makes the 2020 Fed Cup team.

A student at Windsor School and a member of the Albany Tennis Academy, owned and run by former Wimbledon and US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt, Clarke earned the Overall Female Athlete of The Year Award at the Bahamas National Sports Awards in November.

“We are very excited to have Sydney join our Blazer family,” Tjia said.

“Not only does she bring an impressive junior record with her, but more importantly, she comes with strong character and she emulates the same values that our team embraces.”

Her mother, Shayvon Clarke, said she’s very proud of the accomplishment of her oldest daughter.

“She did all of the interacting with the coach. I guess she had her mind made up as to where she wanted to go,” she said.

“I really didn’t have much to do, but I like the environment and the atmosphere.

“I met the team members, so it kind of gave me an idea of what type of people she will be around. So I feel very good about her accomplishment. She did all of the work. The coach went above and beyond to help her get sorted out once he recruited her.”

She said she and her husband, Bernard, are just glad that their oldest daughter got through the clearinghouse process without any hiccups and is now preparing to pack her bags and head off next year.

The BLTA, headed by Darnette Weir, also expressed its congratulations to Clarke on her achievement.

“Sydney has been an exemplary tennis junior and has raised the bar in junior tennis in the Bahamas,” the BLTA wrote. “We know that she will continue to perform well and we look forward to much more tennis highlights from Sydney. Let’s go Blazers.”

This week, Clarke said she’s looking forward to making another great showing at the BLTA’s National Open at the National Tennis Centre as the No.2 seed and the defending champion.

“I feel confident and I’m focused. When I go out on the court, I just want to play my game and not rush into it and get sidetracked,” said Clarke, who advanced out of the first round with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kinza Johnson and will now take on veteran player/coach Larikah Russell in today’s semi-final.

“I just have to stay calm and collected and I feel I can take the title.”

If she is successful in getting into the final, Clarke could possibly have a match-up with Kerrie Cartwright, the top-seeded player, when the final is played on Saturday. “We don’t have as much older players playing this year, but we have Kerrie and Larikah, who are very good players,” Clarke told Tribune Sports. “So I think this would be a good opportunity for me if I can take them both on in the tournament.”

Clarke is scheduled to be back in action at 10am today against Russell.