For the first time since 2007, Jamaica will host a Davis Cup tie when they take on Estonia in a Group 2 qualifying contest at the Eric Bell National tennis Centre from February 4-5.

“That is something we’re very proud of,” said Tennis Jamaica President John Azar at a press conference on Thursday.

“I would say that prior to 2019, the last time that Jamaica had qualified for the Group 2 qualifiers in the Davis Cup was 2009 so, in the past three years we have qualified which clearly speaks to, in my mind, hopefully we’re doing something right for the future. This event will be a first-class production,” he added.

Jamaica will be represented by Blaise Bicknell, Jacob Bicknell, Daniel Azar, Randy Phillips and John Chin and the captain/coach is Mel Spence.

“We’re confident that we have a strong team for this tie,” Azar said.

“It’s a well-balanced team of youth and experience and I’m very happy with their preparation,” he added.

The Estonian team is expected to arrive on the island next Monday while some of the Jamaican team will arrive on the island two days later due to college commitments.

While some may view this as a disadvantage, Coach Spence believes the morale of the team remains as high as ever.

“Thank God for technology. We speak to each other on a daily basis. We’re sending videos to each other of workouts that we’re doing or what our opponents may be doing. We’re keeping the vibe up so thank God for technology. We’re able to keep that bond despite being thousands of miles away from each other,” Spence said.

The matches get underway at 3:00pm Jamaica time on Saturday and 1:00pm on Sunday.