Fed Cup players bid adieu
WAVERLEY – SA's Fed Cup players discuss their goals for the international tournament.
SA Fed Cup players, Chanel Simmonds and Sinazo Solani have spoken about their hopes and fears going into the international tournament.
The pair, along with team captain René Plant, Imaan Hassim, Theresa van Zyl, Madrie le Roux and Zani Barnard will represent South Africa at the eight-nation event to solidify their position in Group two in Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, from 6 to 9 February.
“This is big for me. I have played at university level but not much as a junior,” said Solani, while describing her limited opportunities as a player compared to the other members in the squad.
The 20-year-old did not have the opportunity to play in many junior tournaments while growing up in her small town in the Western Cape. But now Solani has a bursary to study at Stellenbosch University, where she studies international studies, and much of her tennis (including the Fed Cup) is sponsored by Tennis South Africa.
She joins the squad as a hitting partner for her teammates and will not play in any official matches, something which she aspires to do from next year.
Simmonds, on the other hand, will play in her ninth Fed Cup. “We are playing against stronger countries this year,” she said.
“We have a good team. I have not met everyone but from what I have heard about my teammates, we are strong this year.”
Simmonds added that all the players representing South Africa were of a similar age and she expected they would get along well.
Both Solani and Simmonds hold Plant in high regard as their captain. Plant is also a tennis coach at St Mary’s School Waverley, where the team met members of the media before they departed for the tournament.
“René is very supportive. She sees more in me and inspires me to stay in the tennis world,” Solani said, while Simmonds described having the tennis legend as her captain as a ‘huge benefit’.
Simmonds added that she hoped to play in the Olympics one day, and will need to increase her international ranking (currently around 480) over the next year or two to qualify.
Related article:
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/128736/tennis-sa-confirms-davis-fed-cup-captains/
