Brunei, Qatar, Oman: the power of Billie Jean King Cup at junior level
While perhaps not to the same extent as Saudi Arabia, this week is nevertheless a hugely special one for aspiring players in Brunei as their nation competes in Billie Jean King Cup Juniors by Gainbridge for the first time.
Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge is a powerful mechanism for providing equal opportunity and growing tennis worldwide, with the competition reflecting the founding principles of the ITF player pathway and Advantage All – the ITF’s gender equality strategy.
Brunei are contesting Asia-Oceania pre-qualifying in Colombo, Sri Lanka, the first stage of the competition for the region's teams, as the journey towards crowning the 2023 world champions begins.
Irrespective of results, exposure to international competition is being viewed by Team Brunei as pivotal in the ongoing development of emerging players who may one day progress to representing their nation at senior level.
“It is always a very special feeling when someone gets an opportunity like this,” Brunei captain Billy Kee-Loong Wong tells itftennis.com.
“On a personal level, I never had the opportunity to represent Brunei in Davis Cup Juniors. I feel very fortunate to now be the captain of our nation’s first Billie Jean King Cup Juniors team. It’s an honour and a privilege.
“I hope that given all my experience of being a player and more recently being captain of both Brunei’s Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams, I will be able to provide an encouraging and motivating experience for Brunei’s future tennis players.
“It is very important for Brunei to continue participating in these events as it will give the nation’s junior tennis players greater motivation to achieve the unique experience of representing their country in an international team competition.”
Jonathan Stubbs is the ITF’s Development Officer for South, Southeast and East Asia and in October 2022 he conducted the ITF’s first-ever visit to Brunei during which he assessed the level of tennis development across the nation.
Stubbs was impressed with the Brunei Tennis Association’s senior leadership team – some of whom have an interesting backstory to say the least – and their ambitions. Competing in Billie Jean King Cup Juniors mirrors those intentions and is a hugely positive step forward.
“It is very pleasing to witness Brunei with their first team in this very special event,” Stubbs tells itftennis.com. “During my visit to Brunei in 2022, we discussed participation in ITF junior competitions as key for developing a junior competition pathway structure.
“The Brunei players here in Colombo are highly motivated and excited, and it is really wonderful to see. I’m sure the excitement will spread to other players and encourage them to work hard so they can represent their country in future.”
A quick whizz around the teams competing in Sri Lanka and the sentiment being expressed is very similar. In the Qatar camp, for instance, the message is very much one of motivation and inspiration for ambitious young players back home.
“We have a great number of talented players in our group,” Qatar captain Moosa Zayed tells itftennis.com. “All of them are very happy and excited to represent their country. Our players are lucky to play this type of competition.
“It will help them grow their tennis skills and get them ready for future meets. Also, our players will motivate others on the court and inspire them to compete in competitions like these. It will help Qatari tennis going forward and set up bigger goals."
As Amir Borghei, the ITF’s Development Officer for West and Central Asia, confirms, the aim of the Qatar Tennis Federation going forward is to enter their nation into Billie Jean King Cup at senior level for the first time.
“Qatar Tennis Federation’s next goal is to set up their Billie Jean King Cup team and send it to this important ITF event, which would be the first time for the nation and a big achievement for Qatar and its federation,” Borghei tells itftennis.com.
Oman, meanwhile, are contesting Billie Jean King Cup Juniors for the second successive season having returned to the competition in 2022 following a six-year absence.
Their approach centres upon this being a critical experience for the development of talent now, but also an important investment for players in younger age groups who also have designs on gaining career-enhancing experience in the years ahead.
"Our players are enjoying participating in this event," Oman captain Nabil Bridge tells itftennis.com. "Having the opportunity to meet new players from different countries is a great experience and helps towards gaining confidence for future tournaments.
"The battles within matches are inspiring players to do better and improving their approach to game situations, while the whole experience is inspiring kids in Oman to play more tennis."
In short, Billie Jean King Cup is once again proving a key developmental platform, providing players with the opportunity to express themselves and nurture their talents on the world stage.