Game On!

South African tennis has seen an explosion in sponsorship revenue and a growing young player base, but is still some years away from the prestige of hosting a global ATP event.

- Nick Said

TENNIS HAS MADE significant strides in South Africa in recent times, but challenges remain as it competes for the attention of a young audience across the spectrum of society and strives to produce players for the international stage.

This is all against the backdrop of potential changes at the very top of the game, where the cost and viability of hosting certain events is being questioned, as is the money earned by the world’s leading players.

Gavin Crookes, President of Tennis South Africa, says the future of the game in the country is positive, but admits there is “a long way to go” as they try to take the sport into communities that have not had access in the past.

“We are currently in a building phase, but our overall strategy is to get South Africa back to being one of the leading tennis nations,” Crookes tells FORBES AFRICA.

“We are coming off a low base, but we are making significant headway and bringing in significant sponsorship to create an enabling environment for tennis in South Africa.

“Three years ago, our total gross income was R10 million ($680,000). This 2019/20 financial year, we are expecting an annual turnover of around R50 million ($3.4 million). So that is a significant increase in a short period of time.”

Crookes believes there has been a change in attitude from potential sponsors, who had shied away from Tennis South Africa in the past for a number of reasons, including governance and poor delivery.