South Africa’s captain Pietie Norval says the group arrived in Pretoria last Saturday and have spent the week preparing as well as they could. This weekend, the home team seeks to take a step closer to World Group I.

“We actually got together a day earlier than we usually do because we wanted to be even better prepared than we have been in the past, and that’s made a significant difference,” Norval said on Thursday (11/9).

Some players of the South African team came in from low altitude and needed an extra day to acclimatise. 

“So, all is good in the team. We have a couple of newcomers for this tie and with the extra day and more emphasis on high intensity training that went in over the last five days, I feel the guys are the best prepared that they’ve ever been.”

The five-member Renault SA squad includes Alec Beckley and 19-year-old Leo Matthysen, who both have experience playing in the Davis Cup. The other three members of the squad – Thando Longwe-Smit, experienced 30-year-old player Marc van der Merwe, and 17-year-old prospect Connor Doig – will be hoping to make their Davis Cup debuts.

Even though they are heading into the tie with a young team, missing some higher-ranked players who were either injured or unavailable, Beckley felt the hosts were ready to put up a fight against Morocco.

"I think it does put a little bit more pressure on us, but I think we are well prepared for it and we know what to do," said Beckley, the SA team's top-ranked player.

 “We realise the situation and Pietie has been working well with us, and everything is in place, so we’re not worrying about ‘what ifs’. This is what we have, so we’re going to make the best of it, and we feel pretty confident in our capabilities this weekend.”

Morocco, are seven places above South Africa in the Davis Cup rankings.  The winners of the contest this weekend will advance to the World Group I promotion playoffs, while the losing side will compete in the World Group II relegation playoffs.

OFM Sport/Ilse Smalberger dg