South Africa: SA vs Croatia in Davis Cup Play-Offs

SouthAfrica.info (Johannesburg)

Brad Morgan

13 July 2011

South Africa has been drawn to face Croatia in the Davis Cup World Group play-offs from 16 to 18 September. The draw was announced at the International Tennis Federation’s headquarters in London on Wednesday.

Croatia is one of eight seeded countries for the playoffs. South Africa is unseeded.

South Africa is up three places in the latest Davis Cup rankings to 22nd place, while Croatia is down one place, but is still ranked 10 places higher than South Africa in 12th position.

Level playing field

Home ground advantage for captain John-Laffnie de Jager and company, which comes with a choice of venue, should level the playing field, with the South African team all used to playing at high altitude.

The Croatians suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Germany in the first round of the World Group, with Marin Cilic, ranked 32nd in the world, scoring both of their points with a five-set win over 20th-ranked Florian Meyer and a three-set victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Cilic is ranked 10 places above Ivan Dodig, but the Croatians carry another threat in their ranks in the form of Ivo Karlovic. Although he is ranked only 129, at six-foot 10, the big-serving Croatian has the kind of game that is tough to counter on faster surfaces.

Cilic’s Davis Cup record is 12-10, Dodig’s is 1-3, Karlovic’s 10-10, and Antonio Veic’s 1-1.

Kevin Anderson

South Africa’s challenge will be led by world number 35 Kevin Anderson. He was in superb form in South Africa’s 3-1 defeat of the Netherlands that landed the Rainbow Nation a place in the World Group playoffs, beating Robin Haase and Thomas Schoorel in four sets in the singles respectively, and then teaming up with Rik de Voest to win the doubles in four sets.

Earlier this year, the six-foot eight Anderson proved his ability at altitude when he lifted the South African Open title.

At the end of 2010, he was ranked 61st in the world, but has risen as high as 34th this year. His goal, said Anderson, is to crack the top 20 by the end of the year.

Anderson’s Davis Cup record is an imposing 8-1.

Second singles player

Backing up Anderson in the singles will be either Rik de Voest or Izak van der Merwe, this year’s Soweto Open champion, who are ranked closely together.

De Voest is ranked 130th in the world, but boasts a more than useful 24-12 record in Davis Cup play. It was for this reason that captain De Jager opted for De Voest over Van der Merwe for the Davis Cup tie against the Dutch, despite Van der Merwe owning a slightly higher world ranking, at 123. His record in the Davis Cup is 7-8.

Wesley Moodie provides a classy doubles presence. His world ranking is 36th, but his career achievements include winning Wimbledon in 2005 with Australian Stephen Huss.

Moodie and Coetzee

He also has extensive experience playing with fellow South African Jeff Coetzee, with whom he won the Estoril Open in 2008 and reached a couple of other finals, including the Paris Masters in the same year.

Moodie played singles earlier in his career and built up a more than useful 14-5 record in the Davis Cup. Overall, his Davis Cup record is 18-7.

Davis Cup histories

Croatia has been playing Davis Cup tennis since 1993 and became the first unseeded nation to win the title when it beat the Slovajk Republic 3-2 in the 2005 final in Bratislava. The team’s overall record is 24-17.

South Africa first played in the Davis Cup 100 years ago in 1911 and has an overall record of 80 wins and 50 defeats. The country’s only title was won in 1974.

South Africa and Croatia have never met in the Davis Cup.

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