The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JACOBI Bain, in and out on a short break back home, had another exciting trip to Europe where his stock continues to rise in the European tennis circuit rankings.

From February 20 to March 13, Bain participated in three tournaments, improving his under-14 rankings in singles to No. 16 in Europe.

In Romania, he lost in the final of singles and semi-final in doubles in his first tournment. Then in Sweden, he lost in quarter-final in singles and the final in doubles. In the finale in France, he lost in the semi-final in singles and he and his partner won the doubles title. “I just want to say thank God and thank you to all of my supporters for your support during my recent tour,” Bain said. “The tour was a pretty good one.

“The competition is very tough in Europe. The guys are very strong and they are hitting the ball very well.”

Based on what he has accomplished, Bain said he’s enjoying his gradual climb up the ladder.

“The competition in Europe is so much better than in the Bahamas and the United States,” he pointed out. “The guys are much tougher, they fight more and they are stronger.”

Out of the three tournaments he participated in, Bain said he enjoyed Sweden the most because it was well organised and everybody made him feel so special coming from the Bahamas.

At 5-feet, 11-inches, the 13-year-old Bain, who wears size 13 shoes, said he wasn’t intimidated by what he saw from his opponents. “I deal with pressure a lot, so it’s not a big thing,” he said.

If there’s anything that he has to concentrate on, Bain said it’s learning how to close out his matches. “In Romania, I was up 5-1 in the first set and I had six set points, but I wasn’t able to close out and I ended up losing 7-5,” he said.

While home for a few days, Bain took the time out to get some “good ol home cooking” from his mother and he spent some time hitting with the younger players at the Gym Tennis Club.

Unfortunately, he leaves town today for Florida where he will resume his training under coach Doru Murariu before he returns to Europe in May.

“It’s pretty tough, but you have to gradually get through it,” said Bain about the experience of travelling, training and competing overseas. “I am doing pretty good with the language. I’ve learnt how to speak Romanian and German. I’m still working on speaking Russian. It’s a good experience.”

Through the sponsorship of Techno Fiber, Bain has been able to be outfitted with his clothing and racquets when he’s on the tour competing.

His father, Bradley Bain, said his son has made tremendous progress since going to Europe to compete.

“Ultimately, you want to be able to play with the Europeans,” he stated. “The Europeans have produced some of the best tennis players in the world.

“Clearly he has shown that he can go up there and perform with the best in his age group. That’s what we wanted, to confirm that he has the talent to play with the best.”

The main objective for his son is to continue to play in the under-14 division for the rest of the year in Europe, focusing on his development.

“There are some aspects of his game that we are still working on that we are trying to make stronger and better,” he stated. “After he finishes the tour in the summer, he will play a couple more in the fall, but he will begin to focus on ITFs under-18.

“He will be moving out of the 14s, so the focus will be the next level up, which is the boys’ under-18. So his preparation in terms of playing at that higher level is still ongoing.”

As he makes the transition to the 18s, his father said it will be tougher but easier because he’s already playing against boys who are 17 and 18 and is accustomed to seeing bigger and stronger players. “When you play bigger and stronger players, you have to make the adjustment,” said Bain, who coached his son during his younger days.

“He’s hitting the ball very well, so he can compete with boys under-18.”

During those tournaments in Florida, the younger Bain is expected to play mainly grade 5 level tournaments and some grade 4s at the end of the year, which takes away some of the pressure of playing against the top ranked players so early in his transition.

By the end of the year, Bain said the plan is for his son to play his age group in tournaments like the Eddie Herr and the Junior Orange Bowl for boys’ under-14 in Florida.

Bain, who turns 14 on April 11, is also scheduled to return home to play the Junkanoo Bowl, an ITF Junior Tournament, hosted by the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association, as well as the BLTA’s National Junior Championships at the National Tennis Center.

“Despite his ranking in Europe, he’s still not eligible to make our junior Davis Cup team,” Bain said. “It’s just sad that we are not sending our best player to these team events because there are a lot of benefits that are accrued to the Bahamas when we go to these tournaments and lay well.

“So he will play Nationals this summer and the Junkanoo Bowl to ensure that he is eligible for any traveling team that can go and represent the Bahamas. He has an outstanding record on these teams, either as champion or runner-up. I think the Bahamas misses out a great opportunity when he’s not selected.”