ITF

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC " Dominican Republic has had success at a high level. On the men's side, Victor Estrella Burgos, who holds a host of Davis Cup records for his nation having contested 48 ties, reached No. 43 in the world rankings in 2015. Victor is a figurehead in the country and has led and motivated the next generation, especially boys, in wanting to take a high- performance route. Two anecdotes illustrate the influence and impact which his success and attitude, on and off court, have had. Firstly, during the 2014 12&U ITF COTECC Regional Team Competition Final in Monterrey, Mexico, I was looking for Alejandro Gandini as he was needed on court for a match against Mexico to decide the tournament winners. I found him in front of the mirror, tightening his headband and telling himself, 'like Victor, like Victor'. The other was during a conversation a few years ago with Jose Olivares, who is now ranked within the top 800. We were talking about his plans to continue as a professional and he said, 'if Victor could, maybe I can'. In recent years, the likes of Roberto Cid Subervi and Nick Hardt have emerged and are flying the flag for men's tennis within Dominican Republic. Both have grown into the game and compete at a strong level. Roberto has been the recipient of Grand Slam Player Grants, financed through the Grand Slam Development Fund, and last year reached a career-high ranking of No. 211. He has also featured in qualifying for the Grand Slams. Nick, meanwhile, has been a recipient of ITF Junior Player Grants and is also ranked within the top 500. On the women's side, Joelle Schad, who reached No. 166 in the world rankings in 1997 having won a silver medal at the 1991 Pan-American Games in Havana, Cuba, has been a very positive leader for the development of girls. The influence of Victor and Joelle can be felt at both the high-performance and participatory levels while, across the nation, coaches' education is improving. There is also a very strong facility, Centro Olimpico Juan Pablo Duarte, in Santo Domingo where many people play. Through government and ITF support, we hope to see some improvements and renovations there soon. The Parque del Este facility, an inheritance of hosting the 2013 Pan- American Games, is another very important venue for staging international competitions. This facility hosted the 1st Special Olympics World Tennis Invitational in 2018, which the country's First Lady, Candida Montilla, managed. This support brought valuable resources, positive communication and large audiences to Dominican Republic tennis. Federacion Dominicana de Tenis and COTECC president Persio Maldonado, together with the national association board, work very hard to position tennis within the country and the benefits of this are being seen. " PUERTO RICO Puerto Rico has strong links to the United States, which has been hugely beneficial to the growth of tennis on the island. Asociacion de Tenis de Puerto Rico, with traditional and strong leadership which at present falls upon its president Jose Vazquez, is very well organised and has a strong administrative structure, so there is a powerful developmental outlook there. Puerto Rico also has a very successful Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI) and schools programme, although due to the Covid-19 pandemic they are not in operation right now. There are also good facilities around the country, with a very high level of coaches' education. Very important in Puerto Rico is the strength of the Olympic Movement and Monica Puig winning gold in the women's singles at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro has had a major impact throughout the country. But even before Monica won gold, participation among women and girls was very strong and we should not forget there have been other big players from the island such as Gigi Fernandez, Vilmarie Castellvi and Marilda Julia. There is a high number of active female players in Puerto Rico and the nation has had a strong presence in both Billie Jean King Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup in recent years. " Puerto Rico has a hugely successful JTI Estrella Burgos contested 48 Davis Cup es for Dominican Republic ITF World Spring 2021 35 "

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