Bermuda?s Davis Cup tennis player James Collieson is set to spend March in Florida in a bid to better equip himself for this year?s XL Open ? although his wildcard spot is under threat.

Collieson, who has played in the Coral Beach showpiece event on five occasions, has pledged to be better prepared this year for a tournament in which he was beaten 6-1, 6-1 by Argentinian Nicolas Todero in 2004.

But whether Collieson, the Island?s number one, gets another opportunity to mix it with the pros remains up in the air for now.

XL Open organisers have already said that the main draw players would not be known until mid-March and this same principle applies to local wildcards.

?It is far too early to say at the moment what we are doing,? said a spokeswoman for the $100,000 tournament, to be held in April this year.

?But we would probably be looking to do something with one or two people for the qualifiers.?

Although Collieson would be favourite to get a wildcard, given his history with the tournament and two appearances in the main draw ? albeit both courtesy of technicalities ? youngsters Gavin Manders and Jovan Whitter could also be in the running.

Manders last year told that the 2005 XL Open was in his plans, although he admitted it would be tough to win the wildcard spot.

??It would be a wonderful opportunity to play in a tournament like that,? said the youngster.

?I would love to test myself against a top player, it would be great to get a crack at it and see just where I am in the sport.?

But Collieson still has his sights on another chance in the tournament and is preparing for ten weeks of hard training.

?Last year I wasn?t particularly well equipped for it and I was unlucky to get a clay-court specialist in the draw,? said Collieson, who was due to go to the Australian Open as a hitting partner but withdrew at the last minute due to the prohibitive cost of the flights and his main contact withdrawing through injury.

?But this year hopefully will be different. I have to go and see a specialist about a cyst on my wrist but once I have that dealt with I?m going to concentrate on my preparation.

?I am thinking about going to the IMG Academy in Florida. It was something I have been looking at as an interesting training vacation anyway, but it would be a good way of preparing for a big tournament like the XL.

?I don?t think you can prepare here in Bermuda for something like that.?

Collieson is also hoping the Davis Cup can be a focus for his training, especially after the Island?s disappointing showing last year in Costa Rica where the team were hit by illness and a lack of preparation.

?In the nine years I have been involved in the Davis Cup set-up, I don?t think we have ever been well prepared.? added Collieson, who will hit with Andy Bray and Michael Way while on the Island.

?I haven?t even heard anything about this year?s event yet, so I don?t know how things are going to be this year.

?I?m going to take it upon myself to be in the best possible position this time around and hopefully I can go from there into the XL, if I do get a wildcard.

?I probably have another five Davis Cups left in me and I hope in at least one of those I can go in well prepared.?