Ferreira makes a return

TeamSA’s Davis Cup to be bolstered by former pro’s invaluable knowledge

WAYNE Ferreira, the golden boy of South African tennis is back on home soil with the hopes of returning the sport to its former glory as a consultant to the Davis Cup team.

It was a major coup for Davis Cup captain Marcos Ondruska, who managed to rope in his close friend with the hope of tapping into his knowledge as a former top 10 ranked player.

Ferreira was revealed as consultant at the pre-draw media conference ahead of South Africa’s Euro/Africa Group 2 tie against Estonia at the Irene Country Club over the weekend.

Ferreira, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, was one of the country’s top tennis players, reaching a career-high world No 6 ranking in 1996 while boasting 15 ATP singles titles.

“I am delighted to confirm that Wayne has agreed to act as a consultant to me and the team in Davis Cup and we look forward to him helping us with our aims and objectives to get the country back into the World Group” said Ondruska.

When Ondruska was appointed at the end of 2015, he touted the idea of involving Ferreira, in his plans to resuscitate the sport.

Ferreira said he and Ondruska shared the same dream for TeamSA.

“Marcos has a wealth of experience under his belt not only as a player but more so as a Davis Cup player,” Ferreira said.

“We are best of friends and for a long time Marcos has been speaking to me about giving something meaningful back to the game in my home country and I wanted to help him out in his role as Davis Cup captain, so I agreed to take on the consultant role.

“We collectively have a plan for Davis Cup in South Africa and know exactly where we want to be in a few years’ time.”

Ferreira said he believed South Africa had the right mix between rising stars and experienced campaigners to once again be a force in world tennis.

“I hope to play a role in the success of those objectives. I have seen the talent we have on offer that can boost the Davis Cup team efforts and combined with the experience of the older players, lots can be achieved,” he said.

South Africa’s singles assault is expected to be spearheaded by Lloyd Harris, the highest ranked player in the team after he won six consecutive Futures titles towards the end of last year. “I had a long hard 2016 where I played a lot of matches and had great success,” said Harris.

“I had a good break and then good preparation for the new season and feel I am in the best shape I have ever been and ready to give it my all this weekend.”

Ondruska still had to decide between Tucker Vorster and Nik Scholtz as the country’s No 2 singles player for the tie.

Raven Klaasen, who reached a career-high ninth in the doubles rankings in July last year, should be leading the doubles charge on Saturday, teaming up with Ruan Roelofse.

“Davis Cup is really special to me and an important part of my schedule,” Klaasen said.

“When you wear the green and gold and go on to court, it is very different as you are not only playing for yourself, but for your team and country.”