Vincenzo (Vinny) Ciccone, a former
ATA men's singles national champion, represented Jamaica, W.I. in the recently concluded
Americas Zone III Davis Cup tie in
Humacao, Puerto Rico.
Ciccone qualified for the Jamaican national team by winning 2-of-3 singles matches at the Davis Cup trials in Kingston held last April. His mother, Diana, is a native of Jamaica, and his family still maintains a home in Ocho Rios. Ciccone is a dual citizen.
The six-day, nine-nation event was held at the Palmas Athletic Club in June. The other competing countries were the Bahamas, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad & Tobago. Ciccone played at number one singles and doubles in the tie against Panama.
"The Jamaican federation president made some extremely generous comments about my game during the selection process," said Ciccone. "It was indeed a distinct honor to have an opportunity to represent an entire country internationally."
At the tender age of five, Ciccone attended the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida where he met and was encouraged by tennis coach
Bob Davis and legendary tennis coach
Nick Bollettieri. He also formed an early association with a mentor, Arvelia
Myers of the
Pyramid Tennis Club, a legacy of the ATA. As a teenager, he attended Mt. Moriah Academy under the watchful eye of Dr. Jerry West, where Ciccone graduated as class valedictorian and student body president. His achievements in the classroom, in the community, and on the tennis courts prompted
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz to present Ciccone with a Proclamation in the Brooklyn Borough Hall Rotunda.
He went to Atlanta to work under the tutelage of Coach Norman Wilkerson, an ATA stalwart who groomed many players to successful collegiate and professional careers. During his time in Atlanta, his tennis skills, courage, and determination were fine tuned until Coach Wilkerson's untimely death. Ciccone went on to win the ATA Boy's national 16's singles title at 14-years-old and the men's open singles titles at 19-years-old.
After playing a season with the first ever ASA College men's tennis team, now the number one ranked junior college in the nation, Ciccone accepted a full scholarship to continue his academic and athletic career at Xavier University, a NAIA Division I school. While focusing on academics, he helped Xavier to their third consecutive national championship quarterfinal finish.
He had been recruited by West Point, Harvard, and Dartmouth, but was successfully recruited to the historic Catholic school by the aggressive efforts of its head coach and dean.
Incredibly, despite the level of success Ciccone has already enjoyed, his game continues to improve rapidly. He is pointing to a career on the pro circuit following graduation. His long term plan is to attend law school and become a lawyer. |