Sithole takes on world at US tourney
Wheelchair tennis ace raring to win
With just a week until the prestigious Cajun Classic in the US, SA’s top-ranked wheelchair tennis ace, Lucas Sithole, hopes to improve last year’s efforts. Sithole will be the only South African representing the country in the top-flight super series tournament, which takes place from March 19-24.
The tournament is one of six top wheelchair tennis events on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis tour and has attracted eight of the world’s top 10 quad players.
Sithole was plagued by illness and tore his stump in the first event in the US last year, making it a challenging tour but the former US Open Champion is healthy, fit and trained hard for the competition this year.
The 32-year-old from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal was eliminated in straight sets by Japanese world number 10 Mitsuteru Moroishi in the quarterfinals at last year’s event and lost in the semifinals in the doubles event. Sithole will play in the Georgia Open, an International
Tennis Federation (ITF) Level 1 event at Rome tennis centre before the super series tournament. The 2013 US Open champion was knocked out in the first round by Japanese world number 17 Shota Kawano in the same event last year.
Sithole said he’s looking forward to good results following a full two months of training. He believes he could not have possibly done anything more to prepare himself for these events. “I have put in lots of work on court with my coach, Holger
Losch, and feel very prepared. I just want to go out there and play my best.
“I feel good and ready for the challenge. My main goal this year is to improve my ranking and get back to my attacking style of play,” Sithole said.