Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ONCE again, Zimbabwe’s Davis Cup team find themselves in all too familiar!
Zimbabwe are set to host the Davis Cup Africa Group III competition at Harare Sports Club this week as aspirations of earning promotion to the World Group II Play-off are at a fever pitch.
The draw is set for this morning for tournament that tips off tomorrow.
The tournament, a round robin, will see Zimbabwe square off against Algeria, Namibia, Nigeria and Senegal.
The stakes are high, as the top three countries in the pool will be promoted to the World Group II Play-offs in 2026.
The teams that finish fifth and sixth will be relegated to Africa Group IV.
However, in the middle of all this talk of high stakes and the weight of expectations is a player trying to move out of his brother’s shadow and take up the mantle of leader.
Benjamin Lock has once again been ruled out of the tie as he is yet to recover from the elbow injury, the very same setback that saw him missing Zimbabwe’s four-nil defeat at the hands of Morocco.
In his stead, the weight of expectations has been solely placed on the shoulders of his younger kin-Courtney Lock.
The younger Lock brother has been in the country for the last week or so, hoping to reacclimatise and brace for the challenge ahead.
“I arrived here two weeks early to acclimatise and work with the coaches,” he said.
“So I’m really excited to get started. To be honest, Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal and Namibia have all brought their full squads and there is not one player missing.
“It’ll be very high level of tennis for people to watch, and it’s, obviously, always an advantage playing at home.
“We just hope that we can deliver for the country.”
Lock is coming off what he terms as a good season and already feeling ready to go.
“The 2025 season has been a good one. It’s obviously been challenging without having Benji and having to play with different partners.
“There are not a lot of Africans on the ATP Challenger Tour, I have been mostly playing with Europeans or Asians, Americans and it’s been challenging playing with different partners.
“However, we managed to get some good results, making final of the Delhi ATP Open.
“It’s was very special having the Zimbabwean ambassador to India present at the ceremony and making the semi-finals of the Colombian Open in Bogota and also in Brazil for the Porto Alegre ATP Challenger.
“There were also some good finishes in Europe. It’s been a good season so far, and I’m looking forward to playing at home.
“I think Davis Cup preparations have been really good. We’ve been working really hard with the team, both on and off the court, just been trying to build up the body physically to be ready to withstand whatever comes our way.
“Five days of tennis can be gruelling,” he said. Courtney Lock did, however, lament on the absence of his older brother, Benjamin, and offer a small update on his rehab.
The older Lock is expected be out for the rest of the year with a possible return slated for January 2026.
“Missing Benji has been a big hit,” he said
“We know that going in but everyone has to move up a spot which is not always easy.
“However, Mehluli (Sibanda) has been working hard and playing some good tennis.
“It’s nice to have him back on the team. Ethan (Sibanda) and Ronan (Mtisi) have also been playing well and working really hard.
“We are looking forward to getting started,” he said.
Zimbabwe go into the tournament as the second-highest ranked team at 75th position, just two rungs behind Namibia.
The other participating nations like Nigeria are in 77th place, Senegal (88th), and Algeria (96th).
Given their ranking, Zimbabwe will be under pressure to gain promotion.
