Scott Willinsky - File THE BELL Caribbean Jamaica Futures tennis series, which is now nearing its halfway mark, has received ringing endorsements in the United States.
Richard Russell, the driving force and circuit chairman of the 22-tournament series, was surprised by the reaction he received during a recent trip to the US.
"I was more than surprised to find out that Jamaica has indeed become the No. 1 venue for Futures - everybody was talking about it expressing the hope that this will be an ongoing thing," Russell said.
"It has brought so much attention to Jamaica. The young professionals have been issuing good reports worldwide," he said. "The message is getting out there - Jamaica is the place to come for ATP points."
Futures torunaments are used by young tennis professionals to build up ranking points so they can progress to Satellite and then ATP events.
However, as with most sports in the island, sponsorship dollars are crucial to keeping it running.
"We have been having a difficult time keeping it all going but we continue to be determined," Russell, a former Jamaica No. 1, said. "Sponsorship will go a long way to ensure the continuation of these tournaments.
"We are in the process of putting out a glossy magazine about what has transpired so far. This will be distributed worldwide and will depict Jamaica as a superb tennis venue," he said.
Russell also announced the start of Wild Card tournaments between the Futures events to give qualifying losers another chance to make the main draw.
"We at the Bell Caribbean Jamaica Futures also want to ensure that all Jamaican tennis players understand that they can enter the qualifying rounds and now the Wild Card tournaments - there is nothing to be afraid of, this is a great opportunity for our guys to experience the thrill of playing with the champions of the future," Russell said.
Jamaicans Ryan Russell, Richard's son, Dustin Brown and Scott Willinsky are regular features at the Futures events as they compete against players from all over the world.
Russell has reached a final while Brown has shown marked improvement and advanced to the quarter-finals at the most recent event at Half Moon, Montego Bay.
