Our ACE president Doug Burke was recently inducted into the Jamaica Cup Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday April 27 at 7pm, at the Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay. The former tennis champion was inducted for his continuous dedication to the sport of tennis in Jamaica. He helped develop numerous players and coaches throughout the country,
developed grassroots programs, organized events at all levels,
and generated numerous tennis scholarships for Jamaican tennis players. For 18 years, Doug Burke was the Jamaican National Coach, Davis Cup Captain, and National Tennis Director involved in all aspects of the federation.
As a player, Doug represented Jamaica since he was a youngster.
He was a member of the Jamaican Davis Cup Team, and competed in 36 rubbers, winning 20 - 11 in singles and 9 in doubles, and in partnership with fellow Jamaican-Canadian tennis ace, Karl Hale, won eight, a feat that remains a Jamaican national record. In 1978 Doug
immigrated with his family to Canada, and s
ubsequently won the title of the Canadian National Junior Champion. Doug achieved All American status several times as a player for Southern Illinois University in the US.
In 1988, at New York’s OTB Open, Doug became the first Jamaican to reach a quarter-final on the ATP Grand Prix tennis circuit, where he lost to former world Number 1, Pete Sampras. He was also a quarter-finalist the following year, at the ATP's BP Championships in Wellington, New Zealand. Doug retired in 1995, and returned to Jamaica, “to make a difference”.
In
2008
Doug returned to Canada to be the president of ACE Tennis
.
