Change not as good as a holiday for duo
It is suggested by some that a change is as good as a holiday – if not better.
However, South Africa’s two top tennis players, the world’s 12th-ranked singles exponent, Kevin Anderson, and 25th-ranked doubles specialist, Raven Klaasen (right), may be rueing their allegiance to this viewpoint after being bundled out of the Australian Open in the first round of the singles and doubles respectively.
The reason? Anderson and Klaasen both terminated apparently successful relationships for the 2018 season, with Anderson cutting ties with long-time local coach Neville Godwin and Klaasen replacing his doubles partner, Rajeev Ram, with another American in Michael Venus.
Anderson’s new coach is veteran American Brad Stine, who at one time paired up with former Grand Slam champion Jim Courier – and although both Stine and Venus are highly respected on the international tennis circuit, they are relatively unknown in SA.
And although Anderson only lost a stirring five-set battle against Johannesburg-born Briton Kyle Edmund and Klaasen and Venus were barely shaded by the scratch pairing of Davis Marrero (Spain) and American Scott Lipsky, losing in the first round is always a bitter pill to swallow.
As for the reasons for the changes in personnel, in both instances it was announced they had materialised in a harmonious manner and by mutual consent.
For all this, the changes were generally unexpected and received with a great deal of surprise – particularly in the wake of the 31-year-old Anderson achieving the best result of his career in 2017 by reaching the final of the US Open a few months ago.
Klaasen and Ram had also been ranked as high as seventh in the world at one stage as a doubles combination, while also reaching the final of the ATP World Championships in London.
Klaasen will be licking his wounds before preparing for South Africa’s Euro-Africa Group One tie against Israel at the Irene Country Club in two weeks time.
Anderson is once again not available for the Davis Cup.