It may have returned only last year, after a 16-year absence, but the South African Tennis Open is already justifying its presence on the ATP tour.
“With still a few days to go before the start, next Saturday and Sunday’s tickets are already sold out,” said Ian Smith, CEO of the South African Tennis Association.
World number 12 Gaël Monfils tops the rankings in an exciting line-up that includes some of the world’s best players, who are set to fight it out at Montecasino in Johannesburg from Monday. The Frenchman, who missed last year’s event owing to injury, faces stiff competition from Spain’s David Ferrer. The 18th-ranked player will be keen to make up for last year’s loss in the semifinals.
Jeremy Chardy, another Frenchman returning to South Africa, had a fantastic 2009 tournament, finishing as runner-up to eventual winner and compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. His fine run culminated in Chardy winning his first ATP World Tour event in Stuttgart. He is ranked 34th.
Although the tournament is growing in popularity locally, the same cannot be said of the South African players’ chances of winning in their own backyard. When Andy Murray shrugged off South Africa’s best player, Kevin Anderson, at the Australian Open last week, it summed up the plight of the sport locally.
Even in their own tournament, no South African players will be among the top eight seeds. In fact, all three participating South Africans have entered through the back door as wild cards. The two best-placed locals are Izak van der Merwe, ranked a modest 239 in the world, and Rik de Voest at 302.
Gone are the days when the country was rated among the top-playing nations, with players such as Wayne Ferreira and Amanda Coetzer breaking into the top 10.
SA Tennis spokesperson Bruce Davidson blames the drop in standards on the lack of finances bedevilling the sport. “Tennis used to be well sponsored in the past. However, we have not had much corporate support since 1992, which has badly affected the game.
“Ferreira, Kevin Ullyett, Mariaan de Swardt, Coetzer, Wesley Moodie and a host of other former world-class players emerged from the Super Squads programme,” he said.
This programme identified young players and sponsored their ascendancy to the professional circuit.
“Former players enjoyed huge perks, which included sponsored full-time coaches, travel and accommodation packages. Until we get that kind of backing [again], South Africa will not have players in the world top 10. The few local players that have turned professional today did it from their own pockets.”