The Gambia Lawn Tennis Association's annual Junior Tennis championship that aims to help the junior tennis players under the ages of 14 and under, to improve on the tactical area of the minority game yesterday kicked-off at the Independence Stadium Tennis Table in Bakau.
The tournament is staged by the Gambia Lawn Tennis Association annually in a bid to help encourage the young tennis players know about the techniques of the game. Speaking to Pointsport in an interview at the Lawn Tennis Court in Bakau yesterday, Lamin Drammeh, the Head Coach of the beginners who dedicated the better part of his time in the course of the game, said the tournament is also part of the association's effort to attract massive participation in a bid to popularise the game which has in the past been dormant in the country.
"We are organising this tournament to help the players improve on the basic ethics of the game, as well as to help them build on their confidence and tactics in order to be able to rank them, based on their performances," Pointsport quoted Drammeh as saying.
He was however referring to the fact that the association will be using this competition to select the best players in order to put them in a "ranking system."
"We are expecting about 16 male participants and 8 female participants for a week-long junior tennis tournament, bringing the total number of participants to 24, who are looking set to fight for the championship title," Drammeh told Pointsport.
The tournament is also expected to feature the champions of last year's junior competition, such as Buba Drammeh and Lala Sallah, who beat their respective opponents in the semi-final to win the title in a stunning fashion.
