-tennis association coach
By Tiadi Blair
In order to boost participation in tennis, Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) coach Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan says more financial support and enhanced facilities must be provided by the government.
Daly-Ramdyhan recently shared her thoughts with Stabroek Sport regarding the inaugural Caribbean Games in Trinidad and Tobago and the selection of a tennis team to represent Guyana. She noted that three male players will represent the country in the tennis tournament.
One of the major factors contributing to the non-selection of this country’s female players is the low standard at which they have been playing, in comparison to their male counterparts.
The GLTA coach confirmed that No. 1 tennis player in Guyana, Phillip Squires and Anthony Downes who have the opportunity to practice everyday alongside Ezra Sue-Ho, have all been selected for next month’s tournament.
Although these players have been practicing on a regular basis they still have not been able to participate in any competitive tournaments for the year and this means they would lack a competitive edge, especially heading into such an elite event.
However, according to the coach, it is clear that the players must motivate themselves where participation in tournaments is concerned.
She made it clear that tournaments are open to seniors but why persons do not attend is surprising as it is important to be ranked among regional players. Only then can they be recognized by top organizations when entering regional and international competitions.
Daly-Ramdyhan stated, “At the junior level there are many competitions to play in but what you find is after moving from the junior stage to the senior level, players tend to have other priorities, start families and so on.”
Naturally this makes it difficult to have a wide selection of players if the few who are available are not up to scratch. And this is where the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport comes into the picture, she added.
“Support from government of some kind is needed to enhance participation in the activity and without this it will not be easy.”
Players need to be supported financially in order to play at the top level and the facilities they have currently are not up to scratch. The coach said there is need for better facilities so that international competitions can be hosted in Guyana. She concluded that efforts will be made to rectify the current issues within the association.
Ramdyhan said further that players also need to motivate themselves rather than adopt a laid back attitude towards the sport. When asked about reasons for a number of players not participating, Daly-Ramdyhan stated that some were valid while others were frivolous.
“At the moment Shawna Gentle is studying for CXC examinations, Avernell Holder can’t make it.”
She added that it is important to have something to fall back on but there is also need for balance between playing hard and working hard, so to speak.
