NATIONAL senior tennis player Blaise Bicknell says he is now fully recovered from his hip surgery and is focused on delivering an excellent performance for Jamaica in next month’s Davis Cup play-off tie against New Zealand.

The highly anticipated matchup will take place at Eric Bell Tennis Centre in Kingston from February 1–2.

Bicknell, 22, who is the country’s top tennis player, has been out of action since undergoing surgery in July last year. He said he has resumed training with his coach, Mel Spence, and everything has been going smoothly, leaving him confident ahead of the home tie against the New Zealanders.

“I had hip surgery last July, and since then I have been working to get back physically — and I say physically because right now I am 98 to a 100 per cent and feeling good in where I am,” Bicknell said. “I was hurt for a while, and now that my hip is better I am just looking to start competing again, and I am ready to get going. I am just going to continue improving with my team.”

Bicknell, who made history by winning Jamaica’s first-ever tennis medal at the Central America and Caribbean Games in 2023, securing a bronze in El Salvador, remains optimistic that he will be fully fit and ready for next month’s assignment.

“I am playing well, so I am looking forward to it [Davis Cup] and competing with the whole team. I am in a good place mentally and I am motivated to get back out on the tour. I feel like if I stay healthy and do the right things I can achieve great things this year, so I am looking forward to it,” he said.

While the Jamaican team has not yet been officially named for the tie, Bicknell highlighted that he, along with Rowland Phillips and John Chin, is expected to be part of the squad. They have all been working hard in training and are determined to put on a great show for their home fans. Nicholas Gore, who reached the final of last month’s All Jamaica Championships, has also been training with the group and performing well.

“It is a tough team, and we are definitely the underdogs, so I need everybody to come out and support us on February first and second. But, I am confident in our team and our abilities, and I believe,” Bicknell said. “The team is looking good and the team is close. We are training quite often, and we are just excited to get going.”

Despite being sidelined due to surgery, Bicknell’s ITF world ranking has remained protected at 370. He underlined that his primary focus this year is to improve his international ranking, which would help him secure a spot in a Grand Slam tournament.

“I have a protected ranking of about 370 in the world so I am just going to play as many tournaments as I can this year and try to get back up to the Grand Slams by next year,” Bicknell stated.