Namibia face a huge task when they take on Estonia in a Davis Cup World Group II play-off match in Windhoek this weekend.
Namibia clinched the spot when they won the Davis Cup Africa Group III tournament in Harare last year after narrowly beating Senegal and Nigeria to the post, but they can expect much tougher opposition against Estonia, who are ranked 62nd in the world, compared to Namibia’s 71st place.
Furthermore, Estonia’s top players are ranked much higher than their Namibian counterparts, with their top player, Mark Lajal, ranked 158th in the world, and their number two, Daniil Glinka, 167th in the world, while Namibia’s top players are not even ranked in the top 1 000.
Besides that, Namibia suffered a blow with the news that its top-ranked player, Connor van Schalkwyk, will not be available as he is currently playing for Baylor University on the American collegiate circuit. Van Schalkwyk’s highest world ranking was 1 117th in 2024, while his highest junior ranking was 167th in 2021 when he was also the top-ranked junior in Africa.
In his absence, Namibia will be captained by Connor’s older brother Codie, while the rest of the team consists of Jean Erasmus, Nguvi Hinda, Steyn Dippenaar and Ruben Yssel, with Gerrie Dippenaar as coach.
It is the second consecutive year that Namibia has made it to the group II play-offs, but they are yet to gain promotion after they lost their play-off tie 3-2 to Hong Kong last year.
Namibia is one of 26 nations battling it out this weekend for 13 qualifying spots to the Davis Cup World Group II, while the 13 losers will remain in their Group III continental zones.
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE
At a press conference yesterday, Namibian captain Codie van Schalkwyk said they are excited about the challenge ahead.
“We know Estonia is a great team and they’ve got some really good players. Just to be in the Group II play-offs, you don’t just get there by chance, but we are ready for the challenge, and just excited to compete for Namibia again,” he said, but acknowledged that Connor’s absence was a big blow.
“He’s our best player and he’s playing at a great level at the moment, but he could not come because he is playing at Baylor University in the United States. He was really sad to miss out on the Davis Cup tie, but he will be behind us all the way,” he said.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, Van Schalkwyk said they will rise to the occasion.
“We are representing Namibia, so we will give it our all,” he said.
“Hopefully we can take that big step and make it through to World Group II. That has always been our dream,” he said.
Egypt and Morocco are currently the only two African nations in World Group II, while five other African nations will join Namibia in the Group II play-offs, namely South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Togo and Benin.
The matches will take place at the Central Tennis Courts in Olympia on Saturday and Sunday morning, as the vice president of the Namibia Tennis Association, Vekondja Kuvee, explained.
“We will play Estonia over five ties on Saturday and Sunday morning, consisting of four singles matches and a doubles match, while the first team to win three matches will win the tie,” he said.
“Estonia have a very strong team, but our boys are fit and ready and raring to go. The absence of Connor will be a challenge, but we still have some advantages: We are on home ground and the ball is round, and if we can get the crowd behind us, anything can happen.
“Entrance is free, so we hope to have a big crowd to support our players,” he said.
Pupkewitz GWM also showed its support yesterday by announcing a sponsorship to the team as its official vehicle sponsor for the duration of the tournament.
“It’s exciting for us to be giving three Haval Jolions to the Namibia Tennis Association to drive their players around for the Davis Cup.
“We are very excited to partner with the Namibia Training Authority, we like supporting local players. We wish them the best of luck against Estonia,” Bianca Wheakley of Pupkewitz GWM said.
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