Zimbabwean tennis legend Wayne Black has expressed concern over his fitness ahead of next weekend’s Davis Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group II against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Harare Sports Club.
By Our Staff
Ten years after he quit the game, the 41-year-old legend returns to partner either Benjamin Lock or Mark Fynn.
Takanyi Garanganga completes the Zimbabwean team. On Friday, Black steps into his boyhood home Harare Sports Club on the expectant nation watching to see if he can help Zimbabwe humble the visitors.
He has been training for the past month under coach Martin Dzuwa. While it can only be natural for any athlete to feel the butterflies in the stomach before a momentous encounter, Black admitted he is worried about his physical fitness more than anything else.
“Mentally I feel ready for battle but physically I still fill I can improve and I will take the remaining time to work more on my fitness. I am confident by the time I go out there to play against Bosnia-Herzegovina I will be at my best physically,” said Black.
Boasting of a successful tennis career laced with two doubles Grand Slam titles, Black did not hesitate to make a sensational comeback into the Davis Cup team when Tennis Zimbabwe convener of selectors Tanya Chinamo and coach Martin Dzuwa approached him early in this year.
The doubles expert is excited at the prospect of donning Zimbabwe colours in the Davis Cup tennis again.
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“I am obviously excited about coming back to play competitively and I’m looking forward to it. Naturally, it’s going to be very emotional for me, it’s going to bring back the memories of the battles I have had in the past, but all the same I am always ready to represent my country,” he said.
He is not worried about who he will partner and is just focused on victory.
“It doesn’t matter who I play with, but the most important thing is to win the match. I have met Takanyi Garanganga, I have met Fynn and I have been impressed, they all look very good and sharp. I’m yet to meet Benjamin Lock.
“It’s going to be a difficult match because Bosnia and Herzegovina are far much stronger than us, but it would depend on how quickly they acclimatise, but with home advantage we always have a good chance of winning,” he said.
The Tennis Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina named its Davis Cup team which includes Damir Dzumhur, ranked 87th in the world, Mirza Basic (200), Tomislav Brkic (241) and Nerman Fati (800), while Amer Delic will captain the side.
In contrast, Zimbabwe’s number one player Garanganga is ranked 327 in the world while Fynn and Lock are ranked well over a thousand.
However, Zimbabwe overcame greater odds during the time when Shumba teamed up with his brother Byron, Kevin Ullyet and Genius Chidzikwe to upset the world tennis order.
Black will undoubtedly be forever etched in Zimbabwe tennis folklore following heroic performances alongside his brother Byron in the Davis Cup World Group, including a famous 3-2 upset of Pat Rafter-led Australia powerhouse in their own backyard.
