NO FANS FOR DAVIS CUP

The absence of spectators ranks highest on the list of several adjustments made to ensure player safety when Barbados hosts Indonesia in Davis Cup competition this weekend. Set to serve off on Friday morning at 11:00 AM, the premier tennis team tournament returns to a new-look National Tennis Centre for the first home tie since September of 2018.

With Barbados last playing at home against Ecuador, the team has taken on Brazil in September of 2019 and Norway last March, which marked their first outing in World Group I. During a media briefing held via Zoom yesterday, it was revealed that the team, which consists of Darian King, Matthew Foster-Estwick, Haydn Lewis, Kaipo Marshall and Stephen Slocombe, had just completed their first full team training session as they were all back on-island for the first time since playing in North America.

Coordinator of the tie, Junior King, explained that the adjustments were made as the Barbados Tennis Association was closely following the guidelines set by the International Tennis Federation as the sport recommenced across the world. With this being the first time ever that Davis Cup would be played in Barbados with no spectators since first playing in 1990, King revealed that a secure bubble for teams and officials, virtual interactions with the media and a possible live stream for the event were among the protocols put in place due to the pandemic.

Stating that the team was excited to be playing in the World Group, Captain Damien Applewhaite said that it was a welcome change to take on teams outside of the Americas. “With the revamp of the competition worldwide, that opens a huge new world of opportunities to play against other countries. Each tie is historic because we never played against Indonesia before. I find that personally quite exciting and that gives the players a little greater incentive as well,” he said.

Darian King will be making his return to the sport after a wrist injury saw him sidelined for a bit and he said that he was glad to be back. “For me it is a pleasure and I am pretty happy to be playing on home soil again. It has been a tough journey for me coming back on to the professional scene but I have been working hard towards this moment and I think it's a good opportunity for me to prove myself again and to get back my name up there for Barbados.”

With this tie marking the first at-home one for Slocombe since joining the team, he noted that he was also happy to be back home after his time overseas. “I'm usually accustomed to being on the sidelines here and watching from the stands but this time I'm on the team. It's a shame there are no fans this year but I'm just excited to be here. I did a lot of work in Florida over the last month training and preparing for this tie. I am just happy to be back home,” he said.

Marshall, one of the youngest in the bunch, said that although he would miss the spectators, he still intended to put his best foot forward. “Obviously without the fans it's a bit more challenging because you always like to make your family and friends proud of all the work you put in – showcase your level. But I'm still happy that I get to play and I am just looking forward to it.”