Alyssa James eyes pro circuit after US Open Junior Championships

Jamaica's leading junior tennis prospect Alyssa James is treating the US Open Junior Tennis Championships at Flushing Meadows as a likely farewell to the ITF Junior Tour, with a professional career the planned next step for the 18-year-old.

James is entered in both singles and doubles at the junior championships, which begin on September 6. She said she wants to contest professional events later this year and raise her ranking over the years ahead so she can eventually compete at all the professional Grand Slam tournaments.

Beyond the junior circuit, James is set to enrol at the University of Virginia to study business management. She intends to keep tennis central to her life — a sport she has played since she was three.

"I definitely want to start playing some professional tournaments at the end of this year. Um and I hope to build my ranking um in the in the next coming years, so eventually I can play all the professional Grand Slams," James said.

Reflecting on the game's place in her life, she added: "And it's been something that's such a constant in my life, and I could not imagine my life without it. It's brought me so many opportunities that I'm very, very grateful for, and I wouldn't have without tennis, so I'm grateful to the sport and to the people around me."

Much of that backing has come from her family. Her father, Marcus James, first put a racket in her hands and said reaching her current level demanded years of steady effort from a full support team.

"And I always say that when you see a player who has developed and reach a certain level, then, you know, you really have to give a lot of respect and applause to the to the um support team, because it it takes many, many, many years of diligent work," he said.

Marcus James also stressed that university will require her to take greater ownership of her development and stay focused if she is to keep improving. He noted the family has funded her tennis since she was three — describing it as costly — and that he has found creative ways to keep financing her ambitions.

Her sister Ariana James, herself a tennis player, said watching Alyssa's work at home translate into performances before large crowds has been inspiring, and that having a sibling on that path makes a similar future feel more attainable.

"Just seeing someone in your family do it makes it seem more like a reality and something that's more possible than just seeing other people do it. Someone having someone in your family that has done that makes it seem more achievable," Ariana said.