Johnson
THERE'S BEEN a changing of the guard in Jamaican tennis the island's Davis Cup team now squarely belongs to 22-year-old Ryan Russell.
Russell served his apprenticeship with the likes of Jermaine 'Giant' Smith, Scott Willinsky and Peter Gordon, and is now 'The Man' on the team as the old guard moved aside.
However, as was shown during the Americas Zone Group Two Cup tie against Cuba over an extended long weekend last week, the MoBay lefthander does not have to do it all on his own.
Damar Johnson, the 21-year-old number one player at Louisville University in Kentucky, showed he is more than capable of playing Robin to Russell's Batman for some years to come.
SHOCK VICTORY
In the shock of the opening day's singles at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston, Johnson stunned Cuba's number one player, Ricardo Chile-Fonte, in straight sets to score his first singles point for the country in only his third match.
He then teamed with Russell in an enthralling doubles clash which the visitors snared in a high-quality, five-set clash.
In the reverse singles, Russell wrapped up the tie so Johnson was not required to perform any final match heroics but he said he would have been ready if required after the team's on-court victory celebrations had subsided.
In this season's previous tie against the Dominican Republic, he lost that decisive match and that put Jamaica in a relegation battle with Cuba. But he said he had learned from that bitter experience.
"I was hoping Ryan would take care of it, but if it came down to me at 2-2 again, I was ready," Johnson said. "I remember what I went through before the match last time and just tried to do things a little differently," he said. "I expended a lot of energy being nervous so I just tried to relax and keep calm."
DEFINED GOALS
National representation aside, the sophomore has some clearly defined goals he wants to achieve during his collegiate career and does not plan hanging around the tennis scene if the results don't come.
"I've got two more years to go (at Louisville) and my pre-season (NCAA) ranking should be around the top 50 so I'm looking forward to doing good things in the fall.
"Playing in a team prepares me well for this (Davis Cup). The pressure gives me the confidence to do well because it is similar. The level of play in college is the same because there are guys I have played (in college) that have won Challenger tournaments. It's just the tension that makes the difference because you have a country on your shoulders, but I'm experienced tennis-wise."
Johnson is aiming high in his final two years at school on and off the court.
"I am working towards winning the NCAA title and claiming that automatic berth in the US Open," he said.
"I then want to get my degree in finance and then I can start the Challengers.
"I have set some goals for myself over the next two years. If I'm not top 10 and can't win the NCAA then, realistically, I don't see myself going out there and doing really good on the Tour. "I don't want to go out there and be slouching around, there's not much point to that."
T.G.
