Tennis SA appoints new Fed Cup captain
Rene Plant (nee Uys) is the new leader of South Africa's struggling Fed Cup tennis team.
The former South African professional tennis player, Rene Plant, has been named by Tennis South Africa (TSA) as the country’s new Fed Cup Captain.
Plant will be in charge of the national women’s team for the next three years – up to and including the end of the 2020 Fed Cup campaign.
Johannesburg based Plant, in his professional playing days known as Rene Uys, was inspired by her Aunt (former tennis great, Pat Pretorius) to become a professional player at the age of 8 years old. Plant was inspired by South Africa’s Fed Cup win in the coveted Fed Cup for at Ellis Park in Johannesburg in 1972. Pretorius was part of the winning team and has gave Plant the inspiration to become a top player like her. When Pretorius gave Plant the winning engraved brooch that the South African team were awarded after their historic win, her real journey to tennis success began.
“Pat told me to follow my dreams, and I did just that,” said Plant, who was born and bred in the Free State capital, Bloemfontein.
Plant was one of the country’s most successful junior players, ranked in the world’s top 10 as a junior and reaching the Wimbledon Junior singles final in 1981, losing to American, Zina Garrison. In 1983 Plant turned professional and reached a world ranking career high of 30.
Since retirement from professional tennis, Plant has been involved in every facet of the game from being a pro player, a tennis parent, to being a professional coach from schools to provincial and national level. Plant has also been a selector, administrator and presently is the Head of Tennis at one of the country’s leading tennis schools, St Mary’s School Waverley. She still plays competitively on the senior’s circuit.
“I am extremely excited and honoured at being appointed the Fed Cup captain. The Fed Cup is the pinnacle of women’s tennis in South Africa and it will be a privilege to be part of the team and to work with the top female tennis players in the country” said Plant.
Plant was named earlier this year as part of the women’s task force team introduced by TSA to look into the state of female tennis in the country.
The challenges facing Plant, she admits, are real as the South African Fed Cup team are ranked low on the international world rankings (69) and are competing in the Euro/Africa Group 3, with South Africa’s next Fed Cup event due to take place in Montenegro or Tunisia in April next year.
“Despite the challenges facing me, my goal is to set high standards, in a nurturing atmosphere, as we are definitely in a rebuilding phase. Building each player’s confidence and self-belief in their abilities will also be one of my priorities. South Africa’s number one player, Chanel Simmonds is playing extremely well at the moment and I am hoping that this form will carry through to 2018. We also have some very talented juniors coming through the ranks. Promotion to Group 2 will be our first goal as a team,” Plant concluded.
Richard Glover, TSA CEO, said Plant has a clearly defined leadership style and vision for the Fed Cup team and she is keen to work closely with TSA in a very collaborative fashion.
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