Marcus James and daughters Alyssa and Arianna build Jamaican tennis legacy

A Jamaican tennis family spanning local courts and the international circuit is building its name through the sport. Father and coach Marcus James and his daughters Alyssa and Arianna James appeared on TVJ Smile Jamaica to discuss how the game became a shared family pursuit.

Marcus first took up tennis at Mona Prep, where a coach noticed his passion for the game. He later trained in Richard Russell’s programme, following a path also walked by his own father. He went on to play at college level on a tennis scholarship at Western Carolina University. He said he never mapped out a formal blueprint in the mould of Richard Williams, but he did want his family to play, enjoy the sport and bond through it.

Alyssa said she loved tennis from early childhood, practising with her older brother and pushing to catch him in fiercely competitive sessions. Arianna recalled being inspired watching her siblings on court and wanting to join in. Alyssa’s early international results included titles at the Little Mo event in the under-eight and under-nine divisions. She said she felt confident rather than nervous then; as competition has intensified and she has moved into world rankings, nerves sometimes appear, but the enjoyment remains.

Asked whether she can beat her sister yet, Arianna said not yet, though she is working on it. She has begun competing in ITF tournaments and has represented Jamaica in the Billie Jean King Cup in consecutive years. Alyssa, who trains at an academy in Tampa, Florida, said the days are long — about two hours of morning practice, a lunch break, then roughly an hour and a half of match play followed by fitness — and that she intends to keep chasing a professional career.

Marcus still travels with both daughters to tournaments, hits with them and practises when they visit Fort Lauderdale, offering tips along the way. He said watching his children compete is more nerve-racking than playing himself. He recalled Alyssa, before a major Little Mo match against a global field, asking what people would say when she won — a moment that, looking back at how much fun they have on court, left him unsurprised by how far she has come.

Both sisters named Serena and Venus Williams as gold-standard inspirations; Arianna also pointed to Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka. Next, Arianna aims to lift her ranking on the ITF circuit by climbing through international events. Alyssa is headed to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to major in business, has the US Open Juniors ahead, and plans to build her professional ranking from lower-level 15K events toward the women’s Grand Slams. Arianna is entering 10th grade. Both sisters are based overseas.