First since 1980s, cut through, mentality: Jamaica's new tennis hope
The beauty of Grand Slams is the emergence of new faces that will soon become household names and the impact those players have back home, especially if they come from less familiar tennis-playing nations.
Alexandra Eala is a perfect example with her fairytale run to the last 16 here at Wimbledon really capturing the imagination of a population that already reveres her. The scenes in Manila and across the Philippines were wonderful to see.
Another name to throw into the mix is Alyssa James from Jamaica, who is competing at the Junior Championships and starting to make her presence felt.
While her adventure in the girls’ singles draw is now at an end – she remains in the doubles alongside her partner Sol Ailin Larraya Guidi of Argentina – that has not prevented her placing a flag in the sand.
By winning her first-round matches at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, James became only the third Jamaican girl in history to win a singles match at a Grand Slam – and first since Iwalani McCalla at the 1987 US Open.
“I didn’t know those statistics,” said James. “But it makes me feel really proud to represent my country. It’s amazing the amount of support I am getting. Even here, when I am playing my matches, I am seeing Jamaican flags in the crowd.
“A lot of people have been cheering for me and it’s really special. I am getting so many messages also. My Instagram has been going wild with messages from my friends and family.
“My parents are getting a lot of messages also, and my family back home are sending me videos of people watching me on TV and going ‘go Alyssa, go Alyssa’.”
The 2024 World Tennis Global Tennis Report suggested that significantly more people were playing tennis in Jamaica than was the case five years earlier. Access to tennis also improved, with more clubs, courts and deliverers throughout the nation.
James’s increasing presence on the World Tennis Tour Juniors and at Grand Slams is bound to have a positive effect on inspiring not only existing players – in both the participation and performance space – but future generations also.
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“Tennis in Jamaica is cutting through more and more,” added James. “I played at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and now Wimbledon this year and more and more people are interested, which is super cool.
“When I was growing up, finding courts, people to practice with and match play was hard at times but we made it work. Now here, it is super nice to be able to compete against players from all around the world, some of which won’t have had those issues.
“You just have to believe in yourself and believe you have the ability to compete no matter where you come from. It is important to have that confidence and trust in yourself as well as the mentality that you belong.”
James has been competing on the World Tennis Tour Juniors – at home and internationally – since 2022, winning a career-best title at J100 Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in May 2024.
She is now competing at the Junior Championships as part of the Grand Slam Player Development Programme Touring Team, which has been touring Europe, including competing at Roland Garros, since May.
As a reminder, groups of players from underrepresented nations are invited by World Tennis to join Touring Teams. The Touring Team programme is funded by the Grand Slams through the Grand Slam Player Development Programme but operated by World Tennis.
The players offered tours tend to be aged between 14 and 18 and travel as a team, have access to high-performance coaches and gain exposure to development-boosting competition.
The Touring Team programme provides crucial support for talented players who might otherwise be unable to compete at the level they do. It also enables opportunities that financial constraints may otherwise prevent.
“The Touring Team has been super helpful for my development because you get great coaches with lots of experience and they help in many ways,” said James.
“There is also a sense of community because there are other players on the team and you are supporting them during their matches. I have grown as a person also because you are not solely focused on yourself but your teammates as well.
“If someone else is playing and you are not, you warm up with them and stay with them through their match to support them. It builds a lot of connections with the players as well as friendships for life.”
A full list of results from the 2026 Junior Championships, Wimbledon is available here