Klaasen to lead SA Davis Cup team against Luxembourg

South African Davis Cup captain Christo van Rensburg announced his team on Tuesday, led by world-renowned doubles specialist Raven Klaasen, to play against Luxembourg next month.

Luxembourg will host South Africa in a World Group II playoff tie on February 4 and 5, 2023 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.

Klaasen, the country’s highest-ranked doubles player at number 56 in the world, will lead a squad which includes emerging South African tennis stars Kris van Wyk (26 years old), Alec Beckley (21) and Devin Badenhorst (18), all of whom will be making their debuts in the international team competition.

"I'm very excited about the guys I've put together for this tie because, for the first time in a long time, South Africa currently have four players in the top 1000,” Van Rensburg said.

While South Africa’s top-ranked singles player, Lloyd Harris, has made himself unavailable in the early stages of his comeback from wrist surgery, and talented prospect Khololwam Montsi is also unavailable, Van Rensburg expressed his delight at having Klaasen in the team.

"Raven Klaasen has a lot of experience. He's still out there on the tour and still playing really good doubles,” Van Rensburg said of the former Grand Slam finalist.

Van Wyk, meanwhile, will lead the singles attack as the highest-ranked singles player in the squad, and Van Rensburg is pleased to be able to give him a chance to spearhead the national team.

"Kris van Wyk has won two tournaments in the last three months, reached one semi-final and five quarter-finals,” the skipper said.

“He had an incredible end to the 2022 season and I'm so excited to see him ranked No 514 in the world and getting ready to crack the top 500.”

Beckley also had an impressive 2022 season, winning his first ITF pro title in Egypt at the M15 Sharm ElSheikh.

"Alec Beckley also had an incredible end of the year. In the last three months he won a tournament and reached six quarter-finals,” Van Rensburg said.

"Kris and Alec are playing full time overseas, grinding it out, and I look forward to seeing them playing in the green and gold.”

While it is unclear whether Badenhorst will get a match during the tie, with higher-ranked players in the team, Van Rensburg is eager to give the teenager an opportunity to work with the rest of the national squad.

"Devin Badenhorst has a big game. I've heard a lot about this kid and he's going to be special for South Africa,” the captain said.

"He's been called up, and I'm not announcing how the team is going to play until we get there, but it's a great opportunity for Devin to be part of this group."

The winner of the World Group II playoff tie between South Africa and Luxembourg will compete in the World Group II division later this year, while the loser will be relegated to Regional Group III events.

In their only previous Davis Cup tie against Luxembourg, South Africa earned a 5-0 victory in a Euro/Africa Group II clash in Centurion in 2016.

"I'm looking forward to this tie. It will be indoors, and we don't know the speed of the court or the balls, but it will be very competitive because we are playing against people who are ranked similarly to our players,” Van Rensburg said.

"Luxembourg have very good indoor players, so when we get there, I hope our players will adapt quickly. We are arriving the weekend before, so we will have enough days to get ready for the tie.

"I know we will have support from the South African people and I hope we can bring a win back so we can slowly move back to the World Group."

SA team (singles / doubles world ranking):

Raven Klaasen (NA/56)
Kris van Wyk (514/925)
Alec Beckley (695/848)
Devin Badenhorst (1720/NA)