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Surface change needed for Barbados’ tennis to advance
10/3/2009
By Alan Harris
TO SAY Barbados’ overall record at the Davis Cup is poor would be a little bit harsh. To say Barbados’ Davis Cup record on any surface other than that of a hard-court is poor, would be an obvious understatement.
With an overall record of 32 wins and 57 losses, Barbados as a nation has always had a hard time in the international tennis arena. Only a handful of players (Haydn Lewis, the Mosely Brothers, Michael Date and, of late, Darian King) have had real success at Davis Cup ties, and when the court surface changes from a hard-court to, say, clay or grass, Barbados has always had real problems. In 2009, Barbados’ only Davis Cup tie win on clay came against a weak Honduras team. They subsequently lost to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Bolivia.
Predominantly, the tennis courts that dot the island (and there are many) are hard-courts, of which most are extremely fast and extremely slippery. This mix of fast and slippery courts, says Fed Cup (the ladies’ version of Davis Cup) coach Richele LeSaldo, is what is plaguing Barbados’ young and upcoming tennis stars when they reach the international circuit. “In Barbados, all the courts are like glass and extremely fast,” LeSaldo said. “When our youngsters go overseas and kids are hitting two or three balls back at them, they panic because they are accustomed to playing just one point and its over.”
Eluding to the fact that not many surfaces other than hard-courts were easily accessible to up-and-coming tennis players, LeSaldo added, “Resurfacing the National Tennis Centre would be a first step.”
Aside from hard-courts, LeSaldo says grass and clay surfaces were options which could be explored, but with both of these came pros and cons. “Clay and grass surfaces are great because it teaches the kids how to work and develop a point,” the tennis pro says. “It also helps them to develop a style of their own where it is consistent. Clay, especially, is definitely great for developing a game and hitting a lot of shots. I know clay courts are a lot of maintenance and at the Tennis Centre there is a lot of wind, so it would be even more difficult, but these are options which need to be explored in the near future. If not clay courts, then we need at least slower hard courts.”
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