FOLLOWING her straight-set loss to Naomi Osaka on Sunday, Sachia Vickery waved goodbye to the Indian Wells, but Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, who also holds the responsibility for sports, said the tennis ace’s run at the tournament should be heralded by all Guyanese as he extended congratulations to the US-based player.
Despite being born in the USA, throughout her tennis career, Vickery identified herself with the ‘roots’ of her parents Paula Liverpool and Rawle Vickery, who hail from Kwakwani and Linden respectively, in Region 10.

“I might not have been born in Guyana, but I tell people I’m Guyanese. All my family, my parents are from Guyana and people from here support me a lot whenever I play. They would reach out to me personally, or to my mom, so it’s only right that I return,” Vickery told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Dr Norton, during her visit to Guyana in January.

The Golden Arrowhead was seen being undulated passionately by her family as she stunned the world with a sensation come-from-behind victory over 2017 Wimbledon Champion Garbiñe Muguruza (2-6, 7-5, 6-1) in the second round of the tournament.
Before facing the world’s third-ranked Muguruza, Vickery easily disposed of Canadian Eugenie Bouchard (6-3, 6-4) in the first round.

In fact, Vickery had to play two qualifying matches before making it to the main draw for Indian Wells, which is considered one of Tennis’ biggest tournaments outside of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open).

Minister Norton, speaking on NCN’s Vybz 100.1FM yesterday, that it was imperative for him to congratulate the budding tennis star on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, since she has shown an interest in representing the ‘Land of the Mighty Kaieteur’ at the Tokyo Olympic Games and other international tournaments.
Minister Norton stated that Vickery should serve as an inspiration to young Guyanese women in the sports fraternity, since because of her diminutive stature, she is oftentimes out-matched by her opposition, but she uses her strength, both physically and mentally, to find her way to success.
“I want to say to Sachia, on behalf of everyone in Guyana, ‘congrats and well played. This is just the beginning to the great things in place and once you keep working hard, many more doors will be opened’. I watched the match, I saw her really digging deep and I said, ‘that’s the Guyanese spirit’, so I hope she continues to do well,” said Dr Norton.

Vickery, during her visit, also spoke with the president of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K. Juman-Yassin about the process of representing Guyana, and Dr Norton hopes all systems are put in place to accommodate the 22-year-old.

“I believe that can also open the doors for others who are out there and playing at a high level. We see it happen with other Caribbean countries, especially Jamaica;, so it’s important that we (Guyana) are accommodating in whatever way with those kind of athletes, since others will be looking on to see how we really deal with professional athletes, playing at a high-level and signalling their intention to represent us,” Norton added.
Vickery, who is also a former USTA Girls U-18 National Champion, will next suit up for the Miami Open, another Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) mandatory tournament, which serves off on March 20.