No automatic picks for Davis Cup tennis

THERE will be no automatic qualification for the top tennis players to the Davis Cup team to represent Trinidad and Tobago next year.

This was made clear yesterday by Dave James, president of the Tennis Association. James announced that for the first time, players wishing to take part in the world’s premier men’s team tennis competition must participate in trials starting on Boxing Day. These trials will run until December 20 and will be staged at the Tacarigua Sports Complex from 9 am. He said the Tennis Association had been forced to change the format for selection on the national team because there has been no outstanding individual performances during the past year to merit automatic selection.

As a result ten leading players have been invited to bid for honours and to stake their claim for the four places available to wear the national colours in Honduras next February. TT are playing in Group “3” of the American Zone and will be hoping to be promoted to Group “2” Among the outstanding players expected to be in action are Tyler Mayers, Jonathan Gomez, Ivor Grazette and his brother Winnington; South Trinidad’s Dexter Mahase; Dunstan Denoon and Rodney Ross.  Also in the fray is Richard Brown who is attending school in Miami, USA but is back home in an attempt to impress the national selectors and gain a pick on the team.

Earlier this year the Trinidad and Tobago challenge, staged at the Jean Pierre Complex at Mucurapo was led by the overseas-based Stone brothers. However, James said yesterday, apart from a bronze medal in the men’s doubles at the Central American and Caribbean Games last November, the Stones have not done anything noteworthy. “They have not been playing a lot of tennis lately so we don’t have an accurate guide about their performances,” said James. He insisted that national players will be selected on their immediate form and not on past performances so it is imperative that the invitees take part in the trials.