Namibia will participate at the Davis Cup for the first time in three years when a five-man team competes with six other countries in the African Zone 4 group in Tunisia next week.
The Namibian team last competed in 2009 in Group 3 but when they did not return the following year they were demoted to Group 4.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday evening, the president of the Namibia Tennis Association Bob Mould said that they were very pleased to be competing again and promised that they would remain in the prestigious competition.
“We are very pleased to be playing again and come hell or high water we will continue to play in the Davis Cup,” he said.
Mould also thanked Sanlam Namibia who donated playing gear to the Namibian team.
The Namibian team will consist of Jean Erasmus, Johan de Witt, Tuki Jacobs and Deon van Dyk, while Johan Theron will accompany them as the player-coach.
Jean Erasmus is on a tennis bursary in the United States where he plays on the College circuit, while De Witt completed a similar stint in the States a year ago.
Tuki Jacobs, who is still a scholar in Grade 12, is at a tennis academy in South Africa, and has played in several tournaments abroad on the ITF Junior Circuit.
Deon van Dyk is a doubles specialist who has won several doubles titles on the local Namibian circuit.
The team is still young, with Jacobs only 18, while Erasmus is 21, De Witt 24 and Van Dyk 25.
Theron said they were determined to gain promotion to Group 3.
“Our aim is to gain promotion to Group 3. We played in Group 3 for several years before we were demoted so we want to get there again,” he said.
Namibia will play against Tunisia, Benin, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Morocco and Zimbabwe.
The top two countries will be promoted to Group 3 of the African Zone.