Apparently the biggest clash of the Silver Hill tournament is taking place off the court.
Contentious road tennis player Rachel Smith believes she’s been wrongfully denied of another payday after organiser Philip “Foff” Garner omitted her from the women’s draw following concerns over incidents at previous tournaments.
The top-four women’s player made the charge in a telephone interview with the Saturday Sun ahead of tonight’s semi-finals after claiming Garner didn’t get back to her about entering the Silver Hill tournament.
“I went to send in my entry form to an official and he told me he can’t accept my form because I had to talk to “Foff”. So when I contacted him he kept telling me he wasn’t sure about me playing so give him some time but he never gave me a reason and he never got back to me,” Smith said.
“I served a ban in 2016 and since then I won the NCF Tennis In The City last year and even played in the Inter-Parish Tournament, so this is puzzling to me why he would decide not to enter me.
“I wore a T-shirt that caused a stir at the Inter-Parish Tournament, but no official said anything to me during the tournament and as far as I am aware I didn’t break any rules. So I spoke to the minister and he said he would look into it because he wasn’t aware,” she added.
It’s just the latest bone of contention surrounding one of the country’s best road tennis players, who is as polarising as she is talented.
The women’s draw has suffered somewhat in her absence as most pundits would’ve had her to easily advance to the competition’s final four.
And Smith may have been in line for the big payday, since perennial title contender Sheldene Walrond is currently overseas.
But that wasn’t enough to sway Garner, who comfortably defended his position after outlining a series of her past indiscretions at his tournaments.
“Either in 2013 or 2014 she got on the court at this same tournament in Silver Hill and curse bad in public with the minister at the tournament. I gave her a break for that, but she came back in the World Series in 2016 and hit a ball into the stands when she was losing to Sheldene Walrond in the semi-finals at Springer Memorial.
“I gave her another break for that and allowed her to play in the NCF Tennis In The City and represent Christ Church in the Inter-Parish Tournament only for her to put on a shirt that had indecent language with CBC cameras present.
“Now how on earth can I bring her back to any competition I hold? And she has the audacity to call the Minister of Sports? She has to understand that she can’t do as she likes as sports is not about Rachel Smith but rather sports is about discipline, and people see it now as a business,” he added. (JM)