Tennis president faces calls for resignation

Place said the men’s national team was pulled from the competition because he felt they were ill-prepared as a result of a poor training program. He also questioned the integrity of coaches as well as the commitment of the island’s players.

It is understood that Place’s comments have not gone down well in local tennis circles, with some now calling for his resignation unless he retracts statements he made in The Royal Gazette interview.

Many claim the real reason Bermuda withdrew from the Davis Cup stemmed from a lack of funding more than anything else – something Place acknowledged in the article.

“We weren’t able to get enough sponsorship,” he said.

The decision to withdraw from this year’s Davis Cup has denied Bermuda the opportunity to regain their Americas Group III status.

It is the first time the island will not be represented in the annual knockout competition in several years.

Last year saw the island relegated to the Americas Group IV.

Bermuda was due to face the likes of Trinidad, Panama and the US Virgin Islands in Bolivia later this month.

Meanwhile, it is understood that national coach Steven Bean and disgruntled members of Bermuda’s Davis Cup team are expected to meet with Place today in an attempt to clear the air.