Barbados tennis is at a pivotal moment of growth, and the head of the national governing body is pushing for unified action to take the sport to new heights. Craig Smith, President of the Barbados Tennis Association, outlined his vision for expanded collaboration between all tennis sector stakeholders during Sunday’s official launch of the third annual South West Open, hosted at the Raymond Forde Tennis Centre in Wildey. The tournament is already underway at the facility, drawing local and regional competitors to the island’s premier tennis venue.
Smith emphasized that aligned, collective action is the only way to sustain long-term progress for tennis across Barbados. “I believe the time has come for us to work even more closely together in the pursuit of common goals. When we collaborate, everyone benefits—our players, our tournaments, and ultimately the sport of tennis in Barbados,” he told attendees at the launch event.
A core part of Smith’s strategic vision is elevating the profile of the South West Open itself, in partnership with the event’s organizing team. Currently classified as a Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) hosted tournament, Smith says the next milestone is securing classification as an ITF M15 Futures Tournament — a shift that would deliver major dividends for both the island and its up-and-coming athletes. “My hope is that next we can transform this event from a UTR tournament into an ITF M15 Futures Tournament, bringing greater international exposure to Barbados while creating more opportunities for our local players to compete at a higher level on home soil,” he explained.
Smith pointed to the success of neighboring Caribbean nations as proof that Barbados can reach this new level of tournament hosting. He specifically called out Jamaica, which has already advanced to hosting higher-stakes challenger-level professional events, noting that Barbados holds all the potential to match that progress and grow its own tennis ecosystem.
Before laying out his strategic goals, Smith also extended formal recognition and congratulations to Tournament Director Justin Atkins and his entire family for their ongoing commitment to staging the annual event. Drawing from his own decades of experience organizing tennis competitions, Smith noted that pulling off a tournament of the South West Open’s caliber requires immense preparation and dedication. “As someone who has been involved in organising tennis events, I know firsthand the amount of planning, commitment, and hard work that goes into staging a tournament of this quality. It is no small undertaking, and Justin and his team deserve our sincere appreciation for their continued dedication to the sport and for providing another outstanding event on our national tennis calendar that our players can look forward to each year,” he said.
For his part, Atkins opened the event by thanking the many corporate partners, local sponsors and community contributors that have thrown their support behind the 2024 iteration of the tournament. Looking ahead to the week of competition, Atkins told attendees they can expect high-level tennis from all participants. “Over the coming days, you are going to witness incredible athletic talent, fierce rivalry, and a shared passion for the game that brings us all together,” he said, addressing competitors directly with a simple challenge: “To the players: leave it all on the court.”