International exposure boosts Hickerson’s development in France

Guyanese junior athlete Zion Hickerson continued his development on the international stage with eight matches at the TEN-PRO Global Junior Tour in Nice, France, winning half of his encounters across two age-group categories.
Hickerson competed in the Under-11 and Under-12 divisions at the clay-court tournament, which was held at the Tsonga Academy and attracted promising players from around the world.
His best finish came in the 2015 category, where he placed 10th in a field of 30 players. His campaign in that division ended in the round of 16 with a 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Colombia’s Samuel Radhakrishnan.
The result marked the second meeting between the youngsters in eight months. Radhakrishnan previously defeated Hickerson 6-4, 6-1 when they contested a final in Miami.

Hickerson also advanced to the round of 16 in the 2014 category, where he pushed Lithuania’s Juozapas Grebliauskas before going down 6-3, 6-4.
Despite the defeats, competing against highly-rated international players provided the young Guyanese with valuable experience and showed the level of preparation required to progress further.
His father believes additional time must now be dedicated to improving his training and physical conditioning.
“We have to invest more time in training and fitness. Many top athletes attend online or home schooling in order to invest more time in their discipline,” he said.
Following his tennis campaign, Hickerson turned his attention to football. He was scheduled to attend a one-week Paris Saint-Germain football camp before participating in another camp at La Camillienne in Paris.
His continued participation in overseas competitions and development programmes has been made possible through substantial corporate support.
Hickerson is endorsed by ENet, ACADO, Beacon Café, Plus Marketing Agencies, Corum Restaurant Group, Mike’s Pharmacy, Modern Optical, Jai Signs, GuyOil, Guywill Shipping, C&L Construction, Demerara Mutual, BBS Coatings, Ramchand Auto Spares, Ruff Ltd, Caribbean Container Inc, Tri-Stone Auto Sales, Hamson, GT Eats, 4R, BK, Shi-Oil, FireSide, Smalta, and Toucan Industries.