By Carlena Knight
Plans are underway to host a national championship in preparation for the Davis Cup.
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Tennis Association (ABTA) Cordell Williams Snr explained that the association is looking to host the event sometime this month.
He mentioned that any of the players chosen will have to be fully vaccinated in order to participate.
“As I explained to the executive, let us just do a nationals with whomever may come, and pick a team so they can go. We are hoping to do it sometime this month but we are waiting on the ITF because one of the countries [that] bid to host the Davis Cup and the criteria for going into that country, whichever one will be chosen, is that persons must be fully vaccinated,” Williams said.
Williams explained that players will be chosen from this tournament to join Jody Maginley and Cordell Williams Jr.
He added that because Antigua and Barbuda did not participate for two years in the Davis Cup, their ranking dropped and they will have to play in Zone 4.
“More nations are in Zone 3. So, what happened now is that the top eight — Costa Rica, The Bahamas, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Venezuela — in Zone 3 would play against each other.
“We are somehow in 9th place. So, in the bottom half there will be a group 4. The top two teams from Zone 4 will play the last two teams from Zone 3 and if you beat the bottom two teams in Zone 3 then you will move up and they drop down,” Williams explained.
Antigua and Barbuda will play Cuba, Bermuda, Haiti, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago and the USVI.
A venue for the Davis Cup has not yet been confirmed but Williams said that they are starting to make preparations for that tour.