A MUST WIN FOR BARBADOS IN THE DAVIS CUP

by David Harris

Barbados must win their upcoming Group Two Davis Cup matches against Boliva on February 7 th and 8 th at the Raymond Forde National Tennis Centre in Wildey to avoid being relegated to Group Three says president of the Barbados Tennis Association Craig Smith. 

Last year Barbados played all of their  Davis Cup games away from home; in February, the Bajans were defeated by 3-2 by Colombia in a thrilling encounter at the Complejo de Raquesta Ibague in Colombia, and they  were outclassed 4-0 by Lebanon on the clay courts of the Palm Hills, Sports Club in Cario, Egypt in September.  

While Smith acknowledges the matches against Boliva are going to be extremely difficult, he believes that playing at home could boost Barbados’ confidence. 

   “We have not been in Group Three for many years, so it is going to be a tough time for our players. There are several Bolivian players that are seeded among the top 200 in the world, so I know it is going to be a challenge. The only good thing is that we are playing at home and our guys especially Darren (King), seem to play at another level when they are playing in Barbados. I feel that Darren can beat any player when he is playing them at home. It is going to be a hard game playing Group Three is not where we would like to be, so we will try our best to beat Boliva”, Smith said.