Bermuda captain Shelby Madeiros played an instrumental role in the team finishing ninth at the Billie Jean King Cup Americas Zone Group III in El Salvador.

After a tough opening encounter with Panama, Bermuda came close against Jamaica, with Madeiros picking up a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Katherine Dibbs in the singles.

Defeats by Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago left the island’s side facing Surinam in the ninth-place play-off on the final day. Madeiros was at the forefront of that success with a singles win and also combined with Alexcie Burrows to deliver the doubles conquest.

“Overall, it was a tough experience for us,” Madeiros told The Royal Gazette.

“But it was also very rewarding because we found out what we need to get better at when comparing ourselves to other countries.

“You only get so much exposure in Bermuda. It’s a great opportunity to go away, play these countries, see where we’re at and where we need to improve.

“I’m not really taking it as a loss as there’s so much to learn from it and we can only go up from here. I’m pleased that we didn’t come last but it also means that we have room for improvement.

“I knew it was going to be challenging and the group we were given had a lot of stronger teams that we’ve played in the past.

“We knew it was going to be a good competition but we fought really hard, none of us gave up, we put our best foot forward and that’s all I could ask for from the girls.”

With Costa Rica and Trinidad earning promotion to the Americas Zone Group II, Madeiros was keen to point out the standard of their opposition.

“It happened to be that the first and second teams in our group actually won overall,” she said.

“So that just goes to show the people we played against were very talented and both teams were able to move up in groups.”

The 23-year-old was entrusted with leading the team in Bermuda’s return to Billie Jean King Cup action after missing out last year.

“It was a really rewarding experience,” she said.

“I don’t think too many people get the opportunity to do it, so I’m very grateful that I did. It will definitely help me moving forward, not only as a coach, but as a player.

“Just building the rapport with the girls that I was playing with, I think it really helped a lot.

“Moving forward, we’re always open to having other coaches but obviously if the opportunity presents itself again for me to go as captain, coach and player, I would definitely take on that role again.

“I really enjoyed myself and it was an awesome experience. I’m glad I got to fulfil that leadership role and show that I was capable of being all three things at the same time.”

Looking ahead to next year, Madeiros believes the groundwork needs to be laid in advance if the team is to perform better.

“Early preparation is definitely important,” she added.

“It’s great that the girls are playing college tennis, so I think that’s some of the best competition and preparation that they can get.

“They’re actively playing and they have competition, so that obviously prepares them quite well. Then transitioning to come back home, after they’re done with their college season, just continue to keep up the training.

“It’s important to establish routines and training even when back home. Competition is the biggest thing that will help us to prepare because you can only do so much in training.”