BERMUDA had a very important tennis visitor this week in the the form of Gustavo Granitto.

Granitto is the tennis development officer for the Caribbean and Central American region for the International Tennis Federation (ITF), overseeing the progression of the sport in 31 countries.

On a two-day visit to the island, he met with coaches, observed juniors in training and spoke with Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) bosses.

And it is hoped that his trip could lead to help for tennis development in Bermuda from the ITF in terms of coaching expertise and possibly funds as well.

Asked how he thought tennis was being run in this country, Mr. Granitto said: "The most important thing I've seen is that the association wants to be sure that they are going in the right direction.

"And I believe that self-analysis is extremely useful."

Granitto, who is based in Florida, arrived here on Sunday night and spent Monday and Tuesday gathering information on the island's tennis scene.

This was his first visit to the island since he became development officer for the region in 1992 and it follows hard on the heels of the ITF Bank of Bermuda Cotec International Junior Tournament in June in which youngsters from 17 countries battled it out.

"The junior tournament here went pretty well and I've had some excellent feedback," said Granitto.

"I've had a chance to look at the tennis facilities here and they are very good, both the private and the public courts."

BLTA president David Lambert said he was delighted by Granitto's visit.

"We are very fortunate to have him here," said Lambert. "He travels constantly and has a very busy schedule.

"Gustavo has come here with a wealth of information and we want to have discussions and question and answer sessions with him.

"We want to make sure that we absorb as much information as possible so that every decision we make is the right one.

"We want to ensure that the BLTA is heading in the right direction. And the best way to do that is to align ourselves with the world governing body."

Granitto said the ITF were keen to focus on the 14-and-unders and programmes to develop that age group. He stressed the importance of Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup competitions and said the ITF were looking at a new international points-scoring system for players that would apply to Bermuda.

"Gustavo is looking at our calendar and he is urging us to stage tournaments in the run-up to international competitions," said Lambert.

"If players know they have a chance of being involved in the international competitions if they finish in the top two or three in a domestic tournament in the lead-up to that event, it will certainly give them extra incentive.

"I think tennis in Bermuda can grow with Gustavo's involvement and from this exercise, I hope Bermuda will receive assistance from the ITF in the form of manpower, expertise or funds.

"We hope Gustavo will be able to return to Bermuda this side of Christmas," added Lambert.