ANGUILLA—The Anguilla Tennis Academy (ATA) hosted a meeting with representatives from the Marigot Tennis Club and the Timothy Rozenblad Afterschool Tennis Programme where plans were made for junior tennis competitions between the three islands, the Unification Cup. The Anguilla Tennis Academy will host the inaugural Friendly Islands Junior Tennis Unification Cup Competition on February 25th, 2023.
In a meeting held at the Anguilla Tennis Academy (ATA) on Friday, February 3rd, 2023, representatives from the Marigot Tennis Club, St. Martin, Saint-Louis-Gabriel Osé and Jürgen Richter and representatives from the Timothy Rozenblad Afterschool Tennis Program, Timothy Rozenblad and Makini Persuad met with the ATA Director, Tristin Rogers, and Marketing Director, Shridath Rey. An agreement was reached between the three tennis programmes and for the first time ever, Anguilla, St. Maarten, and St. Martin will compete against each other in a junior team tennis Unification Cup competition in four separate events throughout 2023. This initiative is the brainchild of Mitchelle Lake, Founder of the ATA.
The ATA provides tennis training to over seventy-five students in the After School Programme that consists of a pre-rally group (ages 3-5), a peewee group (ages 6-9) and a future stars group ages (10 and older) and a high performance group of ten players
President of the ATA, Mitchelle Lake said, “I am thrilled to have the Marigot Tennis Club join the “Friendly Islands” team tennis Unification Cup competition. The expansion of this initiative to include the tennis club of French, St. Martin will undoubtedly raise the level of competition amongst the various players.” The Marigot Tennis Club also has over 75 students. It is run by coaches Juergen Richter and Virolan Jean-Louis and directed by Saint-Louis-Gabriel Osé. Most of their players play recreationally. However, the programme also consists of an elite group, ages 9-12 that train 3-4 times a week. President of the Marigot Tennis Club, Saint-Louis-Gabriel Osé, affirms, “It is a great opportunity for us to start the event. We will all work together in the interest of the children and the development of tennis. It’s a great idea and we appreciate the invite.”
The St. Maarten Tennis Programme is coached by Timothy Rozenblad. Eight schools train with him at his After School Programme. Most students train 2-3 times a week, while the more competitive players train four days per week. Timothy Rozenblad, coach said, “We are super excited for our players to participate in this first Anguilla, St.Martin and St. Maarten Unification Cup. The more opportunities they receive to play against other players from different academies, the faster their game will progress. It’s a win-win for all tennis programmes.”
Anguilla Tennis Academy Director, Tristin Rogers stated, “Tennis is a major part of our lives and unification is about enriching lives and improving the sport. With the implementation of this initiative, together we can make it happen.”
