Three Bermudian tennis players will make their first appearance at the Island Games in July.

Bermuda’s No. 1 player Tariq Simons will form part of the men’s team alongside Gavin Manders, David Thomas, James Finnigan and Christopher Weeks, while Shelby Madeiros and Victoria Stephens will make up the female squad for the event in Guernsey.

The men’s competition will follow the Davis Cup format, while the women’s tournament will be based on the Billie Jean Cup, with the teams set to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Manders, who has won 11 medals at the Island Games, is the team captain and is targeting a podium finish in both the singles and doubles. Damian Pitcher is the team manager with Thomas his assistant.

“The competition is high and we always want medals,” Manders said.

“We are looking to have a podium finish in all events and we are hoping to finish in the top three in the team event.

“Tariq is our highest ranked-player and I am looking to get a silver in the doubles with James Finnigan. Last time, I won silver in 2019 with David.”

Training for the Island Games has been taking place for months with most of the competitors based on island.

Manders expects to recover from a back injury in the coming weeks in time to participate with more international competition on the horizon with the Davis Cup team travelling to Paraguay for matches next month.

The Island Games are taking place from July 8 to 14.