Clarke looks ahead to sophomore season

It was an impressive freshman year for Bahamian junior tennis player Sydney Clarke as she played well for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers. Back in Birmingham, Alabama, after the summer break, she has resumed practices with her team with one goal in mind – to be better than she was last season.

The Bahamas’ Billie Jean Cup national team player is looking to move up the ranks and get more hardware in her sophomore season in college.

“I’m looking forward to achieving more awards,” she said. “I’m excited to take on this new chapter in my college career.”

Clarke had a phenomenal freshman season as she finished with a 16-5 win/loss record. She played primarily in the number four spot for her team and had a 9-2 record at that position in singles. Clarke had an almost perfect record in conference play, finishing with a 5-1 mark. Three of her five losses on the season came against opponents from what is regarded as tough conferences – the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The 19-year-old spent this past summer at home with family and friends but also spent time working on her game as she looks to improve on her freshman season.

“My time at home was amazing,” Clarke said. “I was very happy and enjoyed the time spent with my family and friends. I wish the time didn’t go by so quickly. During my time at home, I continued training for the upcoming semester. My main focus was keeping my body in shape and stay healthy until I came back to school.”

Clarke spent the summer enhancing her forehand shot as well as focusing on her movement on the court. During her freshman year, she showed some mental toughness as she dug herself out of some tight spots to come away with victories. The current Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Athlete of the Year is looking to be even more mentally tough and prepared this season.

Mark Tija is her collegiate coach.

“It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with Coach Tija. He is very dedicated to helping us maximize our potential. He is very positive and encouraging on and off the court,” Clarke said.

The Blazers competes in Conference-USA (C-USA) at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. They had a good season as they finished with an overall record of 14-7 that included going 3-1 in conference play. They went 7-1 at home, were 5-5 away and 2-1 on neutral territory. The Blazers’ 14 wins were their most in 16 years, since the 2004-2005 season, at which time they finished 14-6.

The Blazers’ 2020-2021 season ended when they fell 4-0 to the Old Dominion University Monarchs in the C-USA Women’s Tennis Tournament. In that matchup Clarke won the first set of her singles match against Alezya Yakubovich, 6-2, and the second set was tied 4-4 before the game was forfeited as Old Dominion had already clinched the dual. In doubles, Clarke and doubles partner Annalisa Smith fell 6-3 to Holly Hutchinson and Tatsiana Sasnouskaya.

The Bahamian was named to the Conference-USA All-Freshman Team.

Clarke was on the Billie Jean King Cup, formerly Fed Cup, national team that finished third in that regional event in Panama City, Panama, in early June. This was her third appearance on the team, making the squad in 2017 and again in 2019.

“The experience was great despite COVID-19 being around. I enjoyed competing and was very grateful to be a part of the team. The competition was tough, and I learned a lot of new things about my game,” said Clarke.

Clarke played singles in all three of The Bahamas’ ties in Billie Jean King Cup play this year, finishing with a 2-1 record.

Also playing on the team were Kerrie Cartwright, Sierra Donaldson and Elana Mackey.

Training began on Monday for Clarke and the Blazers. Their first action will be at the Mercer Gridiron Classic at the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center in Macon, Georgia, on October 1, when they face off against teams from across the southeast region.

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