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A new Bermuda Open offering ranking points and prize money and featuring all of the best players on the island could be the highlight of the local tennis calendar from next year onwards.

The aim of the plan - currently at the draft stages - is to capitalize on the competitiveness at the top end of the game with the likes of Andy Bray, Gavin Manders and Jenson Bascome currently vying for the island number one spot.

Another idea on the table is an end-of-season round robin tournament featuring the top eight players of the season in the form of the famous ATP World Masters Series.

David Lambert, president of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association, said the idea of introducing prize money had come from the players, many of whom have to give up money-spinning lessons to take part in the local tournaments.

James Collieson reflected a widely held sentiment this week when he told the Bermuda Sun why he hadn't entered the Argus Open, commenting: "To cancel x amount of lessons to win a silver ashtray is tough."

Lambert said he had heard similar comments from a lot of players and wanted to introduce a major summer tournament with a financial incentive that would make all the top players come out.

"Players have been mentioning to us for a couple of months that they would like to see some financial reward at these tournaments.

"It was also mentioned that we should have a Bermuda Open - the one tournament of the year that all Bermuda's top players would enter."

One of the options being considered by the BTLA is to hold the tournament in the summer when all of the island's college players are home and to compel anyone who wants to represent Bermuda to take part.

"It will offer all of the players something else to train for. If there are certain tournaments throughout the year they cannot make for various reasons we totally respect that but we would let everyone know months in advance the dates for this tournament and they would have to be there."

He said the BTLA would be looking for sponsors for the event and had not settled on figures for the prize money as yet. But he said it would be substantial enough to make it worthwhile for players like Collieson who have to give up lessons to compete.

"It will induce the James Colliesons to compete because they will feel that it is worth their time to participate and they will have a chance of some financial reward.

"We haven't gone through figures but I'm confident that it would be enough for the players that are teaching tennis to make it worth their while to compete."

Bermuda tennis - in particular the men's game - is the most competitive it has been in years.

In previous seasons Andy Bray has dominated. But this year there have been three different winners of the island's major tournaments - Bray, Jenson Bascome and Gavin Manders, who claimed the Argus Open crown on Sunday.

Despite the parity at the top, with college players like Jordan Talbot, coaches like Collieson and other players like Jacob Trott not entering every tournament, the early rounds are often complete mismatches.

But Lambert is confident that if everyone turned out for the Bermuda Open it would be a fiercely competitive event from the first game to the final.

"I couldn't see you getting past the second round without coming up against someone of a very high level."

He said the idea had been 'warmly received' at the executive level and now a sub-committee was being set up to make it a reality.

He said a number of ideas, including the end-of-season Masters Series for the island's top eight players, were also being discussed.[[In-content Ad]]

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