Time to forget ‘Cannonball Kev’
WHILE Tennis South Africa are naturally disappointed that Kevin Anderson is unavailable for the upcoming first-round Davis Cup playoff tie against Slovenia in Ljubljana from September 13-15, they have now come to accept that it is time to “forge ahead” without him.
The country’s No 1 has for the most part been conspicuous by his absence in Davis Cup clashes, and team captain John-Laffnie de Jager feels it is time to move on. Tennis SA are at least happy that “Cannonball Kev” has reached a career-high ranking of 19, is playing well and – apart from team tennis – is doing the country proud as an individual on the courts of the world.
With Anderson in the line-up, De Jager reckons their chances of beating Slovenia would have increased by 50%, but without him prospects are not too good for Ljubljana. This is especially so in that Slovenia have chosen a very slow clay surface for the match, perfect for players brought up in Europe, but not South Africans who are best suited to fast hardcourts.
So, with Anderson out and Izak van der Merwe recuperating from injury, SA will have one new player in their squad.
Dean O’Brien, 23, will join stalwarts Rik de Voest and Raven Klaasen, along with Ruan Roelofse and Nikala Scholtz in the five-man line-up announced by TSA yesterday.
“I’m very happy to have Dean in the team. He forced himself into the squad with some good results, and he’s useful on clay. It’s a young, inexperienced team, but I know the guys are 100 percent committed,” said De Jager.
Atlanta-based O’Brien, currently ranked 605th in the world, says he is both honoured and excited to be playing in Slovenia. “To be part of the Davis Cup team and represent my country has been a dream since I was a junior,” he said.
This is a crucial tie as the losers will have to face Russia in the final relegation playoff to see who remains in Euro/ Africa Zone Group 1 and who will drop to Group 2 next year. Victory in Slovenia will see SA automatically stay in Group 1.
De Voest is the second-highest ranked South African at 162, with Roelofse at 512 and Scholtz at 631.
Klaasen has been focusing on doubles and is currently ranked 62, teaming up with Swede Johan Brunstrom to win three tournaments this year, Montpellier and Nice in France, and Heilbronn in Germany.