Having spent more time together than usual, captain Pietie Norval is confident the Renault SA Davis Cup team are ready to face Morocco in a crunch World Group II tie to be held at Groenkloof Tennis Club in Pretoria on Saturday and Sunday.
The national team arrived in Pretoria last Saturday, a week before the tie, and Norval said they had prepared well for the clash as they looked to take a step closer to World Group I.
"We actually got together a day earlier than we usually do because we wanted to be even better prepared than we have been in the past, and that's made a significant difference," Norval said on Thursday.
"Some of our players came in from low altitude and they needed the extra day (to acclimatise), and altogether we felt our preparation for this tie needed to be even better than before.
"So all is good in the team. We have a couple of newcomers for this tie and with the extra day and more emphasis on high intensity training that went in over the last five days, I feel the guys are the best prepared that they've ever been."
The five-member Renault SA squad includes Alec Beckley and 19-year-old Leo Matthysen, who both have experience playing in the Davis Cup.
The other three members of the squad - Thando Longwe-Smit, experienced 30-year-old player Marc van der Merwe and 17-year-old prospect Connor Doig - will be hoping to make their Davis Cup debuts.
The @Renault_SA SA Davis Cup team is locked in and fired up! 🔥
— Tennis South Africa (@TennisSA) September 9, 2025
With just days to go until the World Group II Playoffs against Morocco, the squad hit the courts today for some final prep under the watchful eye of Captain Pietie Norval.
Players Kris van Wyk, Alec Beckley, Leo… pic.twitter.com/eKVQueZTzU
And while they were heading into the tie with a young team, missing some higher-ranked players who were either injured or unavailable, Beckley felt the hosts were ready to put up a fight against Morocco.
"I think it does put a little bit more pressure on us, but I think we are well prepared for it and we know what to do," said Beckley, the SA team's top-ranked player.
"We realise the situation and Pietie has been working well with us, and everything is in place, so we're not worrying about 'what ifs'. This is what we have, so we're going to make the best of it, and we feel pretty confident in our capabilities this weekend."
MOROCCO CONFIDENT IN FOREIGN CONDITIONS
Morocco, who are seven places above South Africa in the Davis Cup rankings, were also confident heading into the tie, despite playing in foreign conditions.
Taha Baadi, Morocco's top-ranked player, said they had spent a week in camp in Ifrane (more than 300m higher in altitude than Pretoria) and they had acclimatised well to the conditions since arriving in South Africa's capital city.
"Fortunately we went to Ifrane for one week to train, and we got a bit used to the breathing side of it and we hit some balls as well, so it made the transition a little easier," Baadi said.
"It took us maybe a couple of days (after arriving in Pretoria) but now it seems we're all used to it. I guess we'll find out on Saturday if we're used to it or not, but we're all in good spirits."
Meet Team Morocco 🇲🇦
— Tennis South Africa (@TennisSA) September 11, 2025
Led by captain Hicham Arazi, the Moroccan squad includes Reda Bennani, Taha Baadi, Younes Laaroussi, Yassine Dlimi, and Amine Jamji.
With both South Africa and Morocco hungry for victory, an exciting showdown awaits. Don’t miss a moment of the action as… pic.twitter.com/gn7ypmOTyS
The draw for the tie between South Africa and Morocco will be held at the Garden Court hotel in Hatfield on Friday.
The winners of the contest this weekend will progress to the World Group I promotion playoffs and the losing side will compete in the World Group II relegation playoffs.