PITTSBURGH – It is widely considered that the opportunity to compete for your country is one of the highest honors in sports. A Duquesne men's tennis player had that opportunity this past fall.
 
Sophomore Kaipo Marshall, who is from Barbados, competed as a member of his country's national team in the Davis Cup. Marshall and his fellow countrymen competed against Indonesia on their home turf in Barbados. Although Marshall came up short in his singles match, Barbados advanced into the knockout rounds of Group 2 with a 3-1 team victory over the Indonesian team.
 
"I learned so much from the experience," Marshall said. "Not just from being around players who I have looked up to from a very young age, but also from dealing with the pressure of representing my country at home, a pressure I was honored to take on."
 
The Davis Cup, an event which dates back to 1900, is the world's largest annual international team competition in tennis, with 142 nations entering in 2020.
 

This was not Marshall's first-time representing Barbados. He has now been selected four times to be on the Barbados Davis Cup team. He had previously competed in matches against Norway and the Dominican Republic because of injuries to players on the team. The difference this time was that Marshall earned his spot to play a match, something he did not take for granted.
 
"The most exciting part about competing in Davis Cup is the fact that I am one of the few select tennis players from Barbados who gets the chance to put Barbados' name out there in the tennis world. Taking the Barbados Davis Cup team to the next level on the world stage has always been my dream. It is a step in the right direction for me to fulfill that dream each time I get selected to be on the team to play."
 


Marshall says the experience will help him continue his development on the court not just as a member of the Barbados National Team, but also as a member of the Duquesne men's team.
 
"I learned so much about where my tennis level is right now and how much potential I have in me to reach the highest levels. I can really work hard on these things. I am looking forward to seeing what great things we can achieve with such a strong team this year."
 
Representing your country can be stressful. Marshall needed to balance his coursework along with training, traveling, and competing in the Davis Cup. He said that his professors were very supportive of his opportunity to play on the global stage and that they have been helpful in any way possible.
 
"Of course, when I got back to school I had a lot of catching up to do," he said. "But in my eyes it was more than worth it."