davis cup serves off

Barbados will be looking for a good start when their Davis Cup Group 2 Americas Round 2 tie serves off today at the National Tennis Centre.

Going up against Guatemala for the first time since moving up to Group 2, the local side is ready and rearing to go.

With the team getting the best preparation Barbados has had in recent years with four to six weeks of preparation across the board, Team Captain Damien Applewhaite said that his squad is up to the task of upsetting the five-nil record.

“The record speaks for itself at 0-5, but we are a different team today. We are a stronger team today and they are also a very strong team after beating Mexico in Mexico. But we are very confident that we can be very competitive this weekend and do the right things to come out with a victory,” Applewhaite said.

The line-up for this weekend's tie reads Darian King, Haydn Lewis, Adam Horny and Seanon Williams. King, now ranked 114 in the world, has just come off solid performances in Indian Wells and Miami. Hornby, who is stationed in Georgia, plays regular intercollegiate and inter-club tennis. With regards to Lewis who has had trouble with injury to his back in the past, Applewhaite said that the entire team had a clean bill of health.

“We have no reported injuries that we should be overly-concerned about. Haydn is as strong as he has ever been at 31. I think that is the new trend in global tennis – you don't ripe until you turn 30. Everyone is fit and ready to go,” he assured.

Guatemala's number-one Christopher Diaz, who is currently ranked 733, would have gotten the upper hand over King the last time they met, but Applewhaite said that things are very different now.

“We would have seen Christopher Diaz back in 2011 in the same tournament that we actually won to gain promotion to Group 2. In that match, Darian did play Christopher and Christopher edged out Darian back then, but Darian was 17. It was a young Darian now emerging and it went three tight sets. We all know Darian is a different player today so we will see what happens on Friday and Sunday.”

With every member of the team putting in their work since the last tie, Williams has had his work cut out for him as the least-experienced player. However, he said that he has been investing the much-needed time and effort and expects a new look for himself.

“I have been playing a lot more matches over the last few weeks to months so I'm a little more comfortable on the court now. The heart is there, it is just to stay comfortable, stay focused and handle the pressure how I need to handle when the day comes,” Williams said.