Phillips return for Uruguay tie about pride

Veteran Jamaican tennis player Rowland ‘Randy’ Phillips believes he can still contribute at a high level and that has motivated him to come out of retirement ahead of the country’s Davis Cup Group Two tie against Uruguay next month.

Phillips, 32, who retired from competitive tennis last year, is expected to be joined in the squad by Jamaica’s top-ranked player Blaise Bicknell, John Chin, and Daniel Azar for the tie in Kingston from February 7–8.

Phillips, a former national standout, said he has been putting in the work to ensure he is physically ready for the challenge.

“I am feeling good, because I have been training hard just to make sure that I am fit for the tie. I feel pretty good physically, I am getting stronger, and things have been going well for me,” Phillips said.

Phillips added that discussions with the national selectors encouraged his return, once he proved that he could regain match fitness.

“I told them that I was interested and if I could get into shape, they said that they would reach out to me, and then they did,” he said.

“I would love for us to get to the next round and that is why I came out of retirement. This would be great because we deserve to be on that stage, and I would love to see us back there. It will help the team and the development of the sport, and we want to be in the next phase of the competition,” Phillips shared.

Phillips’ confidence is backed by recent form. In his last competitive outing in December, he defeated Azar 6-1, 6-1 to capture the All-Jamaica Tennis Championships.

“Honestly, I thought I was playing well enough and still in good enough shape to help the team,” he said.

“There is an opportunity to play here at home and help the team, so I am happy to do it,” he stated.

“I think Uruguay are a good team, but they are definitely beatable, so we have a very good chance of winning. Blaise is always strong, so if John Chin, Daniel and I make sure that we are good enough, then yes, we can beat them.”

Phillips also highlighted that Jamaica will benefit significantly from home advantage, noting the impact of local support on visiting teams.

“Playing at home always gives us an advantage. The crowd is always great, and other teams feel the pressure when they come here, so I definitely think we have an advantage playing at home,” he said.

However, he underscored that the tie is going to be very tough because the Uruguayans are a very good team and therefore they are going to have to fight hard for every victory.

“It is going to be tough because they are still a good team and they have good players, so we have to go out there and earn these wins. Blaise will have to help us get one or two wins in the singles, and whoever plays number two on the team will also have to make sure that we get a win as well,” Phillips said.