Jacob Bicknell ‘excited’ to make Jamaica’s Davis Cup team
Jamaica’S tennis player Jacob Bicknell has expressed his delight after he was selected for the fifth and final spot on Jamaica’s Davis Cup team for next month’s Group Two tie against Estonia.
The much-anticipated tie will be held at the Eric Bell Centre in Kingston on February 4-5.
Bicknell, who is the older brother of Jamaica’s number one player Blaise Bicknell, received a letter from Tennis Jamaica on Friday advising him of his selection on the five-member team.
The 23-year-old Bicknell, who is the reigning All Jamaica champion, was selected ahead of Nicholas Gore and Jeremy Miller.
Along with the Bicknell brothers, other members of the team are Rowland Phillips, John Chin, and Daniel Azar. Mel Spence is the head coach of the team.
“I am feeling good and I am excited and I am looking forward to playing my part on the team,” said Bicknell.
“After winning the All Jamaica I knew that I would get the call but it was just a process for it to get done, and so I am happy that I am on the team now.
“This means a lot to me because this is the first time that we will be playing at home since I have been playing Davis Cup, and so it is going to be something for all of us to look forward to, and so I am excited about it,” he added.
Bicknell, who has represented Jamaica in Davis Cup four times before, shared that he and his teammates are looking forward to putting a good showing in front of their home fans against Estonia next month.
The player, who is currently based in New York, also stated that he is now in excellent shape ahead of next month’s tournament because he has been working very hard in training this year.
“I am in good shape because I have been training every day and I am feeling strong, and so I am definitely ready to perform for my country,” said the younger Bicknell.
“This team is pretty similar to the team that we have over the past couple of years because we have all known each other for a long time, and we are comfortable with each other.
“We are just going to go out there and do our best for the country, and because we are all quite very confident at the moment,” he went on.
He said Jamaica has a “chance of beating Estonia at home, and so I would love for everybody to come out and support us during the championship”.