The nation’s top three players were not available for the tie against Morocco last week.
Unless South Africa has its best players available for the Davis Cup, the nation is not going to improve its standing in the international men’s team competition, and the public interest is not going to increase.
Though the national squad were just two ties away from climbing to World Group I (the second-tier division behind the teams competing in the Davis Cup Finals), they were beaten 4-1 against Morocco in a World Group II tie in Pretoria last weekend.
At least they had good reasons for the defeat. The country’s top three players – Lloyd Harris, Philip Henning and Kris van Wyk – were all absent due to injury, and while SA No 4 Alec Beckley did play, he competed with flu and two torn ligaments in his left hand.
Beckley was so broken after his opening singles tie and the doubles match, he had to skip the reverse singles as he was on the verge of being hospitalised.
So, based on all that, the defeat to Morocco is hardly a surprise. But the reality is that South Africa never has a full-strength team.
Aside from the players who were injured, other US-based players who would have been considered for selection against Morocco were unavailable due to commitments on the collegiate circuit.
And while national captain Pietie Norval said SA No 1 Harris was on the verge of accepting an invitation to play last week before he hurt his finger, Harris hasn’t represented South Africa in the Davis Cup in more than three years.
Full-strength squad required
If the SA team are ever going to reach World Group I, Harris needs to play. They also need Henning, Van Wyk and Beckley, and anyone else who is in good form.
Without a full-strength side, they will continue to float about in obscurity in third-tier and fourth-tier divisions.
Very few people outside the local tennis community would even have known a Davis Cup tie was being played on home soil last week. And sports fans in SA are unlikely to take any real notice until they climb the ladder.
And they won’t climb the ladder until every player commits to the national squad. It’s the only way forward.
