Personal trainer asks for patience with Bicknell

Chris Paul, personal trainer of Jamaica’s number one tennis player, Blaise Bicknell, believes the Jamaican got caught up in trying to please the home crowd and lost his focus during his 2-1 first-round defeat to Ivan Curbelo in the ATP Challenger Kingston Open 2 tournament at the Liguanea Club on Tuesday.

Bicknell came out flying in the first set, racing to an impressive 6-3 victory. However, Curbelo responded strongly in the second set and, despite a late charge from the Jamaican, the Spaniard held on for a 7-5 win.

There was little for the home fans to celebrate in the deciding set as Bicknell struggled to find his rhythm and fell 6-2.

Paul was quick to point out that Curbelo was no easy opponent, but felt Bicknell lost sight of the match plan in an attempt to excite the local fans.

“I wouldn’t say he (Bicknell) let it slip away. The guy (Curbelo) wasn’t giving him any easy points. He made almost all the touch shots.

“The second set, he (Bicknell) got back in the match and he just started to rush the points. The shots were there. It was just to be comfortable, be confident in your ability to perform, because you do these things all the time in practice.

“Today was just one of those days. He tried to please the crowd and was not focusing on the game task,” he stated.

Of the four Jamaicans who competed across the two tournaments, Bicknell was regarded as the country’s best chance of securing a victory. With all the local players exiting at the first hurdle, Paul believes that expectation may have weighed on him.

“For us, it’s a huge disappointment because we have been training so hard the last three weeks, coming back to Jamaica, and even losing in the first round last week, we spent some time working on and fine-tuning some things.

“We thank the crowd for coming out. I know the crowd wanted to see a win. We wish we could have given them a win, but don’t give up on us just yet. We still have a lot to do, and we will make you feel prouder one day,” he said.

Bicknell will now turn his attention to tournaments in California and San Diego, and Paul said there are areas of his game that they have identified for continued improvement.

“If you watch the pattern of Blaise’s play over the last six months, he wins the first set, loses the second set, and usually wins the third set.

“So it’s a pattern that we are trying to work on to keep him on a high, especially coming off the first set.

“We will be on the road in California and another 75 (tournament rating) in San Diego the following week. His return game and his backhand are steady. We know he has a good serve. So we are building him. So be patient and don’t give up just yet,” he added.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com