DESPITE the absence of two of the country’s top tennis players, Blaise Bicknell and John Chin, Tennis Jamaica (TJ) President John Azar says the 2024 All Jamaica Open Tennis Championship is still expected to be a highly competitive event.

The tournament, set to start on Saturday and end on December 21 at Eric Bell National Tennis Centre, has attracted a relatively strong field of players, with over 120 juniors and top players competing in various categories.

“Bicknell did a hip surgery a couple months ago. He is back on the court but, based on his professional protected ranking with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), for my understanding, he is not allowed to compete until later in January,” Azar told the
Jamaica Observer during the launch of the event at AC Hotel Kingston on Friday.

“Chin, another one of our top players, he said he’s not going to be in the island and he has a medical situation to deal with,” the tennis boss said.

According to John Azar, the championship promises to deliver eight days of thrilling competition.

“Outside of those two players — Bicknell and Chin — it’s a star-studded event. Literally all our top players, except for those two, will be participating,” he said.

“For the All Jamaica, I’m expecting just a great eight days of competition across all sections. The juniors are going to be super competitive, the men’s pro event is going to be clearly something to look forward to, and there are women’s events, amateur series, and more,” Azar further said.

The championship offers over $1 million in cash and prizes for the pro events, making it an attractive opportunity for players to compete at a high level.

Azar expressed his gratitude to the tournament’s sponsors, who have made the event possible.

“There’s over a million dollars in cash and prizes for the pro events. Definitely, that’s something that, again as I mentioned, wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors,” he said.

“You know, tennis in Jamaica, has been blessed, there have been a lot of repeat sponsors. And I think that that hopefully speaks to corporate Jamaica’s confidence in the Tennis Jamaica brand,” he said.

The All Jamaica Open Tennis Championship will feature events such as Men’s Open, Men’s Amateur Class 2/3, Men’s Over 45 Veterans, Men’s Over 60 Veterans, Women’s Open, Women’s Amateur, Junior Boys’ 12, 14, 16, 18; and Junior Girls’ 12, 14, 16, 18.

Meanwhile, Jamaica is set to host the Davis Cup Group 2 Tie against New Zealand on February 1-2, 2025 at Eric Bell National Tennis Centre.

According to the Tennis Jamaica president Azar, the team is well-prepared for the challenge.

“Well, I’m confident that the team will be very well prepared — there’s no question about that. We have a number of training camps that the guys are taking part in, in the squad at present, before the final selections are made.

“They’re well-prepared. They are certainly going to give it their best. New Zealand is a top team, and we’re taking nothing for granted. Obviously, we’re looking forward to doing well and progressing to the next round,” Azar said.