Christo Van Rensburg excited to captain Team SA in the Davis Cup on home soil

National teams from Namibia, Benin, Algeria, Togo, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Zimbabwe will join South Africa in a spirited competition, vying for coveted spots in the World Group II playoffs to be held in 2024. The top three performing teams from this thrilling tournament will advance to the Davis Cup World Group II playoffs next year, while the two teams at the bottom will face relegation to the Africa Group IV.

Christo Van Rensburg, the captain of South Africa’s team, expressed his excitement, emphasizing that hosting such a global tournament will undoubtedly enhance the development of tennis in the region.

"I took this job to become the captain, it was two years ago and we have not had a home tie to play in South Africa. So, very exciting to come home. I haven't been there for a while, I wanna come and see friends and everyone," Van Rensburg said.

"But to have any national player representing your country to play at home is one of the biggest awards you can get as a sportsperson. I will always think how proud these players' parents are gonna be who sacrificed and friends coming out to watch them actually play for South Africa at home. It's priceless."

Van Rensburg points out that Tennis South Africa is making impressive strides in the sport by organizing events of significant magnitude. As a result, players are now receiving invitations to compete overseas, a privilege he did not have when he began his own tennis journey. This progress showcases the growing recognition and opportunities being created for South African tennis players on the international stage.

"Well, what we look at is to see how these people are performing when they go overseas and play and I know I'm kind of hearing about some of the juniors and they then get invited to play in Europe and in America," he added.

"That's one of the main things. You have your tournaments in South Africa but then take that talent and let them compete against the world at a young age and in juniors. I didn't have that exposure. 

But now I can see how good that can be for them and then the stepping stone from there when they go to college they get thrown into a system where they would play so many matches and that's what I really like about what's happening now in South Africa.

I think the stepping stones are forming it's way up to the top and that's really exciting to see."