The 2019 Anguilla Tennis Cup, which began on Sunday, November 3, and continued throughout the week, has brought a huge amount of publicity to the island with aspiring, accomplished and top professional players from twenty-one countries participating.
The tournament also provided clinic and playing opportunities for many young Anguillian children for whom, in the first place, the Anguilla Tennis Academy was created by Mr. Mitch Lake. He not only emerged as a strong professional in the sport, but later went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics. Today, a number of other successful young Anguillians were also able, by his example and through the Tennis Academy, to achieve tennis scholarships to further their education.
The Anguilla Cup began with a number of Anguillian children being coached by American former renowned tennis professional player, Mary Joe Fernandez. She reached a career high ranking
of number 4 in the world in both singles and doubles.
As she took a break from conducting the clinic, she told The Anguillian newspaper in a brief interview: “It is my first time in Anguilla. I am happy to be here and I love what I see so far. Everybody is so friendly and kind and the Anguilla Tennis Academy is a wonderful facility. It is beautiful.
“The children are great. They are hard workers and very focused. They really have good techniques and I just love how much they like to play. The most important thing is to have a love for the sport you choose – and I am happy to have been playing with them.”
Asked about her own involvement in tennis, she replied: “I was younger than some of the children here. I was six when I started playing tournaments. I am from Miami, Florida, and it is a good place to be for tennis. I love watching it and working with children. I have two children of my own who also play tennis.”
Meanwhile, Junior Tennis Player from Florida, Ellis Short, presented a box of used tennis shoes to the Anguillian children. “I am 16 and I play in a lot of tournaments abroad – so I feel like sharing some used shoes from myself and other people to these kids,” he commented. “I am sponsored by Babolat, a French company. I lived in London for twelve years where I met them and they still support me in the United States. I was eleven years old when I started playing tennis.”
President of the Anguilla Tennis Cup, Mr. Karl Hale, said: “Some of the top players in the world are here for the event and everybody is excited to be on the island. We have former world number 4 player Fernandez doing a clinic, to be followed by the Men’s Invitational Finals with two great players.”
Those players, Jessie Witten of Naples, Florida, and Nicholas Chapel of Dallas, Texas, were part of a team of eight players from the rest of the world including three from Anguilla: Denny Derrick, Calyde Hughes and Ryan Williams.
After speaking about other visiting tennis professionals, Mr. Hale commented on plans for young Anguillian players. “What we are hoping to do, over the next three years, with the Tennis Academy, the Tourist Board and the Government, is to grow the sport through the schools’ programmes and different opportunities. The aim is to get more Anguillians to end up with scholarships to the United States.”
Parliamentary Secretary responsible for tourism, Mr. Cardigan Connor, had this to say: “The Anguilla Cup is very impressive and I must say a great thanks to all who made it possible. Karl Hale is very much a friend of Anguilla and he has been very much supportive of taking this programme forward. Having it advanced to a Grade 3 means a higher grade of players coming to Anguilla.
“It is a great opportunity for us as we often talk about sports tourism as part of our destination. The facilities at the Anguilla Tennis Academy are the best in the Caribbean. The turnout of our youngsters, along with others in the competition, is a good opportunity for them.”
Mr. Mitch Lake, Founder and CEO of the ATA, said in part: “This is a proud moment for the Anguilla Tennis Academy to have the likes of Mary Joe Fernandez visiting and working with our children. It is a great opportunity for our children to learn the sport. It just goes to show that when you build world class facilities you will attract the best from around the world.
“We are also fortunate to have some of the top juniors – ITF players from all around the world. There are twenty-one countries represented here in this Level 3 Tournament. It is just a remarkable opportunity for us – and something we will always cherish.”
