Tennis Jamaica has announced the renewal of its partnership with National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCB) for the next staging of its highly successful Amateur Tennis series, which kicks off with the first event set for March 4 – 11, 2023.  

The series of ten tournaments will be played at the NCB Wellness and Recreational Centre in Kingston, and will see amateurs of varying levels competing in a variety of divisions namely, Men’s Class 1, 2 and 3 and Ladies A and B. 

Each tournament will also see the introduction of a Men’s Class 1A event, which will allow local professionals to showcase their skills in an exhibition round robin format while gaining invaluable match practice and experience. While the majority of events will focus on singles competition, there will also be events dedicated solely to Doubles competition as well. 

Tennis Jamaica President, John P. Azar, was elated to welcome NCB back on board for a second year.

“The NCB Amateur series was one of our many highlights of 2022. It allowed players of all levels to come out in a competitive yet friendly atmosphere. I have no doubt that the 2023 series will be even more successful as each of the last events were record-setting, with an increased number of entries each time, and there is no doubt that the players are raring to go and get back on the courts,” he said. 

Azar was quick to point out that NCB’s support had not been limited to the Amateur Series.

“Even with the best plans and ambitions, we are powerless without the support of our valued sponsors, led by NCB. They have been consistent in their support of a variety of our developmental programs and I see it as a belief in the Tennis Jamaica brand and what we are doing. I cannot thank NCB enough for their invaluable and ongoing support,” Azar added. 

Brand and Sponsorship Manager at NCB, Marion Carter, also shared her enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Tennis Jamaica for the 2023 Amateur Tennis Series. Supporting the development of sports in Jamaica is very important to us as we see more young Jamaicans turning to this field as a viable career and wealth-creation option for them and their families. We believe that the NCB Amateur Tennis Series is an excellent platform for players of all levels to showcase their skills and compete in an environment that is geared towards their development.” 

Azar added: “I cannot stress enough the importance of tournaments in the development of players. The presence of events such as these encourages players to practice even harder in an effort to showcase their skills. It is wonderful to see the camaraderie and fellowship between the tennis family and nothing brings that out as well as friendly but fierce competition.”

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.