CNMI netters to train in Fiji

Thea Minor and another CNMI junior tennis player will be leaving for Lautoka Fiji this summer to attend training sessions at the Oceania Tennis Federation’s Regional Training Centre.

CNMI coach Jeff Race said the Commonwealth is given two slots at the RTC and Minor is assured of a spot after her impressive performance in last year’s Pacific Oceania Junior Champioships in Fiji and in various tournaments in the region.

Minor made it to the semifinals of the POJC and also competed in tournaments in New Caledonia and New Zealand last year.

Race said Rafael Jones and Christian Miller will be contesting the remaining slot, as they are the top two CNMI players in the boys’ 14-and-under age group.

“I hope Thea and whoever gets the last slot will make the most of their stay at the RTC. The training sessions there will be very helpful in the development of their skills,” Race said.

Thea and either Jones or Miller will undergo the same training that boys’ 18-and-under player Ji Hoon Heo and former junior netter Mayuko Arriola went through, a few years back. Their training sessions will only last for weeks, as the CNMI netters will be staying at the facility on a non-full time basis.

The facility in Fiji is one of the three RTCs that the International Tennis Federation operates. The two others are located in Pretoria, South Africa under director Dermot Sweeney and in Dakar, Senegal. The facility in Senegal—the ITF/CAT Francophone Training Centre—is the newest RTC and was opened in 2007.

ITF Development Officer Pacific Oceania Dan O’Connell oversees the operations of the RTC in Fiji.

Players who are in the facility in Fiji on a full time basis are accommodated in the ITF House, attend school, and participate in a full week’s training program, incorporating two daily on-court sessions and regular fitness training sessions. Talor Wain is head coach and is assisted by Fiji national coach Naga Reddy and David Detudamo. Players attending classes in Fiji also have the opportunity to be selected for ITF regional junior teams, which compete in high level events in Australia and New Zealand.

Several players who competed against CNMI bets in last year’s POJC are full time RTC students.

Coaches and tennis players from the zone, particularly from powerhouse Australia and New Zealand, also visit the facility to share their expertise to RTC students.

Ultimately, the facility aims to help RTC students gain USA tennis scholarships, which is a great alternative for those who could not make it to the professional circuit.