WITH less than two weeks to go before the important Davis Cup Group 2 play-off, president of Tennis Jamaica John Azar says preparations are almost complete as they host Barbados at Eric Bell National Tennis Centre in Kingston from February 3-4.

The tie will pit the 65th-ranked Jamaicans against their 56th-ranked Caribbean rivals as they seek to advance in the competition.

The island hosted the play-offs last year when Jamaica overcame Estonia 3-2, which saw them advance to play Lebanon last September when they lost 0-4.

Tennis Jamaica received a major boost for this year’s staging with Scotiabank coming in as title sponsors to the tune of $1 million.

While thrilled to host another Davis Cup tie, Azar told the
Jamaica Observer that there are still a few things to iron out.

“Because this is an ITF [International Tennis Federation] event, there are certain specifications that have to be met — international standards — so a lot of work has been done, and there’s a lot more work that will be done prior to the ITF referees coming to the island next week. But we’re certainly very confident that we’re on target to meet all the requirements well in advance of the ITF referees arriving in Jamaica,” he said.

“Putting on a tie like this is always not without challenges but we’re very excited and looking forward to hosting another home Davis Cup tie. It gives the Jamaican fans an opportunity to come out and watch world-class tennis, it gives our players the opportunity to play in front of their home fans — which means a lot to them,” Azar added.

On the administrative side, Azar is happy with the technical team appointed, with former national representative Noel Rutherford as team captain and another former national player Errol Campbell as team manager.

“Noel was part of the management team serving as coach and has now transitioned into the role of captain. He’s very experienced — he’s played, coached and captained at the highest levels. Tennis Jamaica feels very confident and honoured to have him serving the role for this upcoming [event] and I think the players themselves are certainly going to benefit greatly from his expertise. On match days he will be the one making all those decisions, and we’re confident in his ability. He’ll be supported by Errol Campbell as the team manager, someone who has played at the highest level,” the tennis boss said.

Jamaica’s five-man team will be led by the nation’s top player, Blaise Bicknell. The experienced Rowland “Randy” Phillips, along with Daniel Azar, Jeremy Miller and David Goldsmith complete the team. One of the island’s top prospects, John Chin was unavailable for selection due to college commitments.

However, Team Captain Rutherford is optimistic about Jamaica’s chances heading into the clash against the Bajans.

“I’m very confident, because it’s not like our players [have] been sitting here and waiting; they’ve been out there playing. And that’s what you want as a coach and trainer and captain for a team — you want to ensure your guys are out there, sharp and ready to go. All our players have been playing tournaments — Blaise has been doing extremely well and Randy Phillips as well. Daniel Azar has been playing a lot of matches and putting out a lot. Jeremy is putting in the work, so I’m comfortable with what I’m seeing,” said Rutherford.

The players are expected to participate in a mandatory training camp starting on Monday, ahead of the play-off.