00:00When it comes to tennis, opportunities to reach the top don't come often.
00:0413-year-old Josiah Hills has earned a one-in-a-million shot to represent Trinidad and Tobago
00:09as part of the International Tennis Federation slash COTECH 14 and Under Grand Slam Player Development Program.
00:16He can't wait to take on the challenge.
00:19I felt ecstatic. I was very grateful that I got this opportunity.
00:24I worked very hard day and night for this tournament.
00:27He has been playing since the age of four, knocking a ball against the wall.
00:33It's a sport that he chose and coming out of Tobago, he feels a sense of pride to lead the way
00:38and was thankful to those that got him there.
00:41I would thank my mother and my coaches and the tennis association.
00:46He's expected to join a select group of top junior players from across the region
00:51to compete in two international tournaments,
00:53the J30 San Salvador and J30 Guatemala competitions, which runs until November 15th.
01:00So what makes Hill special?
01:02Well, he loves to win as he aspires to be like Novak Djokovic.
01:06President of the tennis association, Hayden Mitchell, says
01:09participation in this elite tour is expected to provide him with international exposure,
01:15competitive experience and mentorship designed to advance his professional and personal growth.
01:22Getting Josiah to this point is really, it took a village, right?
01:26I think his parents would have put in a lot of effort, his coaches and of course,
01:33you need to have the association behind you as well.
01:36You know, from the association side, we would have had to put on tournaments for him to get points,
01:41for him to be able to make the Masters in the first place.
01:43On his mom's side or his parents' side, they would have also had to invest in letting him go to tournaments outside of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:52And of course, the coaches had to get him prepared.
01:56Hills' coach, Larry Yearwood, believes that the experience will be invaluable.
02:00It's absolutely invaluable. It's absolutely wonderful.
02:03It is a fantastic experience, speaking from personal experience, an opportunity to not just play nationally but internationally
02:12against the top players in the conference, in this region, and also when he gets a chance to play against the North Americans and the Canadians.
02:23It's invaluable.
02:23The Signal Hill secondary school student believes his success at the competition is expected to light a pathway for TNT towards getting more tennis players in the top 100.
02:34Mitchell believes that finding the pathway was always the key.
02:37Well, the first thing I think everybody needs to understand, what is the pathway, all right?
02:41There's a pathway for players, both locally, regionally and internationally.
02:48I think making sure that our stakeholders, especially the governments, the governments have to understand what that pathway is and how we can get our players out there.
03:00I'm always asked, you know, why Trinidad has never produced a top 100 player?
03:05Well, that's because, you know, I think the people involved never understood what the pathway was.
03:10Sergio Dufour, TV6 Sport.
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