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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Davis Cup tennis team captain Gwinyai Tongoona has rallied the team to rise to the challenge when they meet El Salvador this weekend in the World Group II play-offs at Harare Sports Club.
All team members were in by Tuesday afternoon following the arrival of the Sibanda brothers, Mehluli and Ethan.
The Lock brothers, Benjamin and Courtney, were the first to arrive and were already training at the match venue under the guidance of Tongoona and their coach Freeman Nyamunokora ahead of the match tomorrow and Saturday. The 12 winning nations from the World Group II play-offs will progress to 2022 World Group II ties. The 12 losing nations will compete in regional Group III later in 2022.
Tongoona said they know what is at stake and the players are motivated.
“If we win, we play again a Group II match in September, I think to see if we go up to Group I.
“It should be an important tie, if we lose this tie we go down to Group III, which we don’t want and I think the players are already motivated. They want to fight and stay in this Group and then try to move up at the end of the year.
“So, I mean there is pressure playing at home but also having the home crowd gets the players fired up and they also play at a slightly higher level, so we are looking forward to the tie,” said Tongoona.
It’s likely to be an interesting clash for the two nations that are meeting for the first time in this competition as they seek to avoid being relegated to the regional Group.
Courtney Lock, who has previously partnered his brother Benjamin for the doubles, is looking forward to the match.
“It’s been great preparation. I mean as soon as we knew we were playing them (El Salvador) and we were playing home, we planned to play tournaments in similar conditions.
“I played in Tunisia for five weeks on a hard court, before this my brother played there for three weeks and then in Europe for three weeks. So we are feeling good.
“We see this as a very important kind of date on the calendar for us and we love playing at home and we love playing for the country,” said Courtney.
The 25-year-old had a double hip surgery last year, and says that coupled with Covid-19 made the last two years difficult for him.
“2020 was tough. Benji and I were here for five months, we were unemployed technically, so we are really grateful for the people who kind of supported us, kept us going.
“But then in 2021, I was out for a year. I had a double hip surgery, so for me it was a very difficult two years . . . Benji travelling alone, there not being that many tournaments, not being able to play at home, so it wasn’t easy to be a sportsman, probably the worst time in the world.
“But things are back (to normal) and a lot of people quit. A lot of people kind of stopped or hesitated to keep going and Benji, and I kept going and I think we are reaping the fruits now.
“So it’s been a tough two years but at the same time we have kept our bodies, kept our level, and we haven’t felt better than this, so at the same time we are in great conditions,” said Courtney.
Online Reporter