The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER spending some time in Montreal, Canada working on his technique, Justin Lunn said he’s looking forward to heading to the United States in February to resume playing on the professional circuit.

“This year was a little bit slow for me,” Lunn pointed out. “Next year, I hope to pick it up and come back strong again. But I’m hoping to have an amazing tournament here.”

Lunn, 28, is referring to the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Giorgio Baldacci National Open Tennis Tournament that will start on Wednesday with the main draw play at the National Tennis Centre.

“I like coming home in December to play in this tournament,” Lunn noted. “It’s always good to play in front of the home crowd and just to show them that we are not slacking off, but we are doing what we have to do. “We want them to know that we understand the sport and so they should not get down on us because this sport is very different and difficult to play than the others. It’s not a team sport. It’s an individual sport. But it’s amazing to play because it works on you.”

Last year, Lunn survived through the controversy of the draw and the seeding of players to finish as the runner-up to Donte Armbrister. They both went on to make the team that represented the Bahamas at the Davis Cup tie in Group III.

At the end of the tournament on Saturday, the top two finishers will join Justin Roberts on the team for 2020. Roberts has already secured his berth on the team as the Bahamian with the highest International Tennis Federation rankings in the top 800.

The three players will be joined by the fourth player who will be selected at another tournament that will be played before the Davis Cup tie is staged in April.

This year, the BLTA will seed the players in the main draw based on their international and national rankings. It’s a format that Lunn feels is the best way to play the tournament.

“I feel they should have done this a couple of years now,” he stated. “I’m glad that they actually made the decision to do it the right way this year. I’m willing to see how it goes. It’s a tournament and everybody will get to play the way they should.

“Now we have to play. There are no excuses this year.”

Lunn, 28, said his goal is to win.

“I’m in shape. I’m playing very well physically and mentally,” he stressed. “I come to play and when I come to play, I come to play.”

Only time will tell exactly how well Lunn will play when the tournament gets started tomorrow.

As for Davis Cup, if he’s successful, Lunn could end up making his fourth appearance on the team. He played previously in 2010 and 2017 in addition to his appearance last year.