Former Davis Cup captain calls for more internationals for development

Former Davis Cup winning tennis captain Robert Hale is convinced that Jamaica can get past the Davis Cup Group Two stage and maintain their position amongst the best tennis nations by contesting more international competitions.

Hale, who represented Jamaica in the 1970s through to the 1980s, argues that the development pathway can be achieved by the sport's governing body getting more international competition on the island or by supporting the best talent financially in overseas tournaments.

"What we need to do is to get more events here in Jamaica and try and attract more overseas players, which would then influence the level of competition within Jamaica. We have two choices, we can develop them that way or give them the resources to travel and play events all over the world," Hale said.

Hale, who played NCAA Division One tennis in the USA for Old Dominion University, says his game developed tremendously by travelling through North America and Europe and playing against the best talents on the circuit.

"There is no substitute for developing a player outside of competition. You can practice and become the best practice player in the history of the game, but once the real game starts, they are going to fall apart because they are not used to competition," he stated.

Hale, who is the brother of another top Jamaican player Karl Hale, says Jamaica was once the envy of the Caribbean in competitions, with players like Douglas Burke and Noel Rutherford leading the charge.

The Savanna-la-Mar native who now resides in Cayman believes that Jamaica have promising talents, which need to be honed for the next level.

"We can't rely on our own players for competition because what you will find is that you will only get as good as the best local player. After you get there, you will hit a plateau and it will be hard to improve outside of that," said Hale.

Jamaica were promoted to World Group Two of the Davis Cup and will take on Estonia in February in the first-round play-off here in Jamaica.

Jamaica's best performance at the Davis Cup was on their debut back in 1988 when they reached the Americas Zone semifinal.