Pretoria, South Africa – Both South Africa and Ireland were upbeat about their chances for this weekend’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Europe/Africa Zone Group 2 tie at the pre-draw media conference held Tuesday at the Irene Country Club outside Pretoria.
The South African Davis Cup Team Captain Earl Grainger says that he is very pleased with the team’s performance in training thus far and how they have come together. “I have to select 4 players from the 6 that I have and it is going to be a very difficult decision because every guy has proven why they should be part of the tie”, says Grainger. With the tie being played at the Irene Country Club it gives the South African team a bit of edge as they have home court advantage. Tucker Vorster, of Pretoria believes that the crowd could be a big factor in helping the South African team win. “Being able to play in front of friends and family makes us more comfortable and much more determined to win”, said Tucker.
The Irish team arrived in the country on Sunday and Connor Niland the Irish team captain says at the moment they are comfortable. “We have had three days to adapt to the altitude and the court surface so we are feeling very good at the moment.” said Niland.
The Irish number one player and the highest ranked player (150 singles) at the tie James McGee says that he is expecting a very tough match come the weekend. “Rankings mean nothing when you play Davis Cup as you are playing for the prestige of your country so I being higher ranked than the rest of the player’s means nothing” says McGee. He also added that he knows that the South African team is going to be tough and is looking forward to the battle.
The tie between South Africa and Ireland takes place from 17-19 July at the Irene Country Club in Pretoria.