The Tribune

BAHAMIAN collegiate tennis player Michael Major Jr recently returned home in good spirits after what he deemed a great freshman season with the Howard University men’s college tennis programme.

Major Jr spoke with The Tribune on Wednesday at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) as he assisted former pro tennis player Mark Knowles with the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s (BLTA) ‘Play Tennis’ programme. The 6-foot-2 skilled tennis player was elated to be back at home with not only warm weather but also his family and friends. “It is good to come home. It has been pretty cold in Washington DC for a majority of the year so to have good weather and be back with my people is definitely great. I had a great season. I got second team All-Conference (MEAC), second for Rookie of the Year and Howard Newcomer of the Year. I had a lot of accomplishments and a lot of good ones so now I am glad to be home,” Major said.

Although it was just his first year adjusting to college tennis, Major was able to pick up some notable accolades along the way.

He was selected to the All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) second team.

Additionally, he was awarded as the Newcomer of the Year for men’s tennis in his debut season.

Despite the success, the rookie acknowledged that it was not always a seamless process.

“The season has been great. It was shaky at first coming in as a freshman so I had to find myself but once I found myself I was fine. I have a great group of guys and great coaches. It comes with a lot of pressure playing college tennis because you have a lot of guys depending on you but I feel like I was able to handle it and it has been good,” he said.

The tennis phenom believes that the “strong connection” built with teammates made a big difference both on and off the court.

“It doesn’t feel like they are teammates, it feels like they are my actual brothers. It was definitely good to get to know them on and off the court.

“We do spend a lot of time off the court together and I think that is what really made us great teammates. We only spent about three hours on court but we spent a lot of time off court as well and I think that helped,” he said.

Major and the no. 4 ranked Howard Bison closed out the season in the MEAC semifinals where they fell to the top ranked South Carolina State Bulldogs 4-0 in late April. They finished the season with a 6-11 (win/loss record) and Major earned seven wins in singles competition for the season.

He is now feeling confident and motivated headed into his second year of college.

“I definitely think sophomore season is gonna be way better than my freshman year.

“Even though I did a lot in my freshman year, I feel like I know what to expect now going into my sophomore year. I have the confidence and I definitely got better so sophomore season I am going into it real strong and with fire. Hopefully, we could pull off a conference win and make it to the NCAA’s,” he said.

As far as giving back to the ‘Play Tennis’ programme, Major said it felt great to be able to serve as inspiration for the youth and help out with the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“Mark has been a role model of mine from when I was younger. He is a Grand Slam champion and has been at the top of the game and has helped me a lot in tennis on and off the court with funding and sponsorships. It is always good to give back with him to the kids because I was one of these little kids at one point. Being able to help him with the programme makes me feel accomplished,” he said.

The rookie will transition into his sophomore season this Fall.