Bermuda Junior Davis Cup coach Steve Bean expects his team to perform better than last year when they compete in the ITF Junior Davis Cup prequalifying tournament for the Caribbean and Central American region in Guatemala next month.

The island’s budding tennis stars will test their skills against regional counterparts from February 23 to 28. Winning the competition will present Bean’s team with an opportunity to play against some of the top countries in the Americas.

From last year’s squad that travelled to Dominican Republic, one change has been made. Jadon Spriggs has replaced the overage Zachary McGuire, while Tristan Pettit and Tobiah Goodchild retained their spots.

Trials for the team were conducted at WER Joell Tennis Stadium and Temple of Tennis during the festive season.

Under the mentorship of Terry Smith, Bermuda finished seventh out of 17 teams after posting a 2-0 victory over Panama. A loss to Costa Rica denied the island a spot in the top six.

Going into the tournament unseeded, Bermuda recorded an emphatic 3-0 victory over Jamaica to force their way into the main draw.

“We’ve done reasonably well on a couple of occasions in this tournament,” Bean told The Royal Gazette.

“We still have Tristan and Tobiah from last year’s team, so we’re still going to be strong with Jadon coming in.

“We’re not going to win it. Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic – these teams are also very strong with many players to choose from. But I think we’ll hold our own. We did so last year and the year before that.

“When we had our trials over the Christmas break, we picked the best of what we have. Tobiah was No 1, Tristan was No 2 and Jadon was No 3, so we have healthy competition between the three players.”

Bean has drawn up a schedule for the players to refine their skills before their departure.

“Those boys are training at their respective clubs almost every day,” the coach said. “They also have national training on Wednesdays at the national stadium, as well as Saturdays and Sundays at Temple of Tennis with me.

“Outside of that, they’re sharpening up their skills because they’ll need to be sharp once they get to Guatemala.

“We’ll be playing on hard courts, so we should be fine because there’s always a big adjustment whenever we’re playing on clay courts since we don’t play much on those here.”

Meanwhile, the Davis Cup players will have an opportunity to prepare for their trip when they compete in the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association doubles tournament.

The AXA XL-sponsored three-day event runs from Friday to Sunday at the tennis stadium. Boys’ and girls’ doubles, as well as mixed doubles, are the categories in which players can take part.

In another tennis development, the BLTA’s junior national training programme started last week.

“Designed for junior players who either currently represent Bermuda in international team competitions or have the potential to do so, this programme aims to develop top talent,” said Ricky Mallory, the BLTA national tennis director.

“Sessions are held once a week and led by five of the island’s top certified tennis coaches, each bringing a wealth of experience. The coaches focus on enhancing tactical and technical skills, along with developing physical and mental strength to compete on the international stage.

“These sessions include intense drills, match play with strategic game analysis and fitness conditioning.”