Bermuda 2008 Davis Cup hopeful Jordan Talbot is now the proud recipient of the prestigious Arthur Ashe Award.

The award, honouring late Wimbledon, Australian and USOpen champion and civil rights leader Ashe, recognises college undergraduates who have strived both academically and athletically on campus while also exemplifying excellence in community activism.

The rising tennis star is currently in his third year at St. John's University in Queen's, New York where he is studying science in sports management and business on the Dean's list for academic achievement. Talbot's flourishing tennis career began at the tender age of eight and over the years the Bermudian, who now resides in Canada, has complied an impressive record competing in the Ontario Provincial League.

Now Talbot grandson of the legendary Ross (Blackie) Talbot and son of past local junior tennis champion Bryan Talbot hopes to make an impression at the national level, with a spot on the Island's Davis Cup team high on his list of priorities. And the Mayfair Tennis Club coach's tennis exploits abroad have not gone unnoticed by Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) president David Lambert who reckons the budding talent has a very promising career ahead of him.

"We at the BLTA applaud Jordan and all of our young players who have accomplished their goals on and off the court. And we encourage all of our players to be the best they can be; not just on the tennis court but also in the classroom, because education and the sport go hand-in-hand," Lambert said.

It's success stories such as Talbot's that have long exemplified the BLTA's mandate to produce well rounded athletes capable of taking local tennis to unprecedented heights.

"The BLTA runs on a pyramid structure with the grass-roots programme as the base and of course the programmes that run after school and throughout the week along with tournaments. From the junior tournaments we are able to acquire the top ranking players who will represent Bermuda overseas in the ITF regional tournaments and that's how we identify who our future champions are going to be," Lambert explained.

"Now we have the young men and women who have put in the time and commitment and the association and the country are beginning to identify the talent and who you can really invest in."

Among those expected to be challenging for Davis Cup spots during next February's team trials are rising stars Gavin Manders, Jensen Bascome and James Collieson to name a few, with only those having competed in at least one BLTA-sanctioned event to be considered for Davis Cup selection.

Bermuda will travel to Honduras in late July to comete against the likes of Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador and Barbados in the Davis Cup Americas Division Four, with the top two finishers in the group gaining promotion to the next level.

In 1997 Bermuda clinched Davis Cup divisional honours on home soil and repeated the trick three years later in Honduras.

"We know what it takes to develop a championship team," Lambert declared. "So with time, commitment, talent and financing Bermuda can definitely represent itself on the world stage."