JOHN Chin, Jamaica’s number-two-ranked tennis player, says he has been working diligently in training to improve his fitness as he aims to help the country secure victory in the Davis Cup Group Two play-off tie against New Zealand this weekend. The highly anticipated clash is set to take place at Eric Bell Tennis Centre in Kingston on Saturday and Sunday.

Chin, who is currently training and playing with his Boise State University team in the United States, says he has been dedicating more time to building his fitness and stamina for this tournament, as these will be key components of his game in this clash against the New Zealanders.

“I have been doing a lot of work at school, just training with my team, because I have like 10 good tennis players to train with here, and I have been getting some good coaching,” he said.

“I have been doing a lot of strengthening work at 7:30 in the mornings and I have been doing a lot of runs as well. I think this will prepare me much better for this Davis Cup tie.

“The last tournament I played in Jamaica, I was winning and then I started to cramp up. So obviously, I need to work on my fitness — so that is my main focus right now,” he added.

Jamaica’s Davis Cup team will consist of the country’s top player Blaise Bicknell, along with Nicholas Gore, Rowland “Randy” Phillips, and Daniel Azar. Phillips, who has been in good form, missed Jamaica’s last Davis Cup match in Paraguay last year due to personal reasons.

Chin, 21, currently ranked 1600 in the world, emphasised that he is delighted to have Phillips back on the team.

“I am excited about this Davis Cup tie and I am happy to have Randy back because he didn’t play in the last Davis Cup. I am also looking forward to getting some wins under my belt,” he said. “They are a tough team with some really good players but I think we have a good chance because the tie is in Jamaica and we have a lot of talent on our team as well,” Chin pointed out.

He stressed that for the Jamaicans to dominate this tie against the New Zealanders they must capitalise on their opponents’ weaknesses.

“I think that we have to be very physical, because it is going to be hot, and I think that we also have to have a lot of heart and ensure that we minimise our mistakes and capitalise on their errors. Once we do that, then we definitely can win this tie against the New Zealanders,” Chin said.

He noted that he is in his final year at Boise State University and, once finished he plans to focus on improving his world ranking in the sport.

“I definitely want to improve on my rankings this year and so whenever I am done with school this year, I will be travelling and playing professional tennis full-time.

“I know that I am a very good player but I definitely have to put a lot more into my game. So, once I am finished with school I will be doing that,” he underscored.

— Robert Bailey