After a 17-year absence, the Guyana Bank for Trade & Industry (GBTI) Open Tennis tournament returned yesterday with the opening ceremony at the GBTI Sports Club courts in Bel Air Park.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GBTI John Tracey, who was a former player and President of the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA), said yesterday in his feature address that the bank was pleased to be associated with the tennis association.

He noted also that the bank was happy to be partnering again with the GLTA after last sponsoring the tournament in 1993.

He said however that he was not entirely pleased that the sport had not kept up with other sports  like cricket and football, especially since some of the country’s crème de la crème had migrated to other countries.

Tracey stated, however, that this partnership will be the start of a continuous relationship with GLTA and hopefully the introduction of new sponsors for the sport.

The GBTI CEO also urged the players to “step up to the plate since tennis has a long way to go in Guyana.”

And if the racquet wielders continue to raise the level of their play, then sponsors will feel the need to jump on the sponsorship bandwagon, Tracey said.

“Raising the level of your play will make other sponsors think that it is a worthy cause putting money into the game. Feel as if you have a product to deliver so that sponsors would buy into it,” Tracey urged.

Addressing the executives of the GLTA, which is headed by Christopher Ram, he also charged them to reintroduce the club structure to raise the competitive level of the game.

If this is done then “other GBTIs will be tempted to come on board” with the aim of attempting to lift the standards, Tracey declared.

In the meantime, he lauded the efforts of Ram whom he observed to be  persistent in being largely  responsible for procuring the sponsorship for the tournament. He said this effort will not go in vain since the GBTI intends to be sincere with its contribution to the association.

When Ram spoke he expressed his gratitude to the GBTI for answering the GLTA’s call. He was especially pleased that after 17 years GBTI had returned to the side of the lawn tennis association.

Ram added that this was the sort of injection the sport needed if it was to mature from an embryonic stage.