The Tribune

By BRENT STUBB

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHEN the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Giorgio Baldacci National Open Tennis Tournament gets underway on Wednesday, Kevin Major Jr hopes to be one of the top contenders for the title.

Back home after playing in a series of tournaments in Florida, Major Jr said he’s looking forward to the challenge and will give it his best shot at the National Tennis Centre.

“I’ve had a good series of tournaments in Florida,” said Major, who just came off a victory to push his record to 49-1.

“Luckily the guy I lost to, I beat him, so I’m happy with my performance. But I think I’m done with Florida. I had a great run down there for the past two years. When I first started the tournaments, I did them for warm-ups for tournaments and they were hard in the beginning, so I just walked through them.”

After playing in this tournament this weekend, Major Jr said his focus starting in 2020 is to start playing in the International Tennis Federation tournaments where the stakes are higher.

However, before he gets there, Major Jr would like to put the Bahamas National Open title on his résumé to give him a lot more confidence and credibility on the international circuit. “You can expect me to play my hardest regardless of whatever happens, that might happen, that could have happened,” he said, not wanting to dwell on the controversy that they experienced last year with the draw and the seeding of players.

“I’ll be out there for sure. I never expect to win. I’m just going to go out there and do what I have to do. As a result of that, I should be able to give it my best shot and that should give me a chance to win it.”

Based on the format where the players will be seeded based on their international and national rankings, Major Jr said he’s not going to let anything get him down this year.

“The tournament has to be played and I have to play,” he said. “So I’m just here to play and do whatever I have to do to win.”

At the end of the tournament on Saturday, the top two male players will join Justin Roberts on the team that will represent the Bahamas at the Davis Cup competition in 2020.

Roberts will be exempted from playing in the tournament because of his ITF ranking. The other member of the tournament will be selected in another tournament that will be played before the tie is played in April.

“I love representing my country. Every time I play an international event, I represent my country,” Major Jr said. “I love playing Davis Cup, but at the same time, I represent my country every time I step on the court. Davis Cup is just a bonus.”

Having said that, 24-year-old Major Jr said he’s prepared to play his best tennis this weekend so that he can continue to represent the Bahamas on the international scene. He last played on the Davis Cup team in 2016 when the Bahamas played out of Zone III. It was his fourth straight year on the team, having made his debut in 2013.