The national tennis body has made the decision to separate the roles of Davis and Fed Cup captains. Until the end of last year John-Laffnie de Jager held both positions.
Acting chief executive officer at Tennis South Africa Gavin Crookes said the board decided that two captains needed to be appointed.
“Tennis South Africa is of the firm opinion that the Davis Cup and Fed Cup captain’s roles could be specifically focused on the men’s and ladies’ team events respectively. This gave Tennis South Africa the opportunity to appoint captains who specialise in the men’s and women’s game,” he said.
De Jager would stay on as Davis Cup captain and Earl Grainger would take over as Fed Cup captain.
Both De Jager and Grainger would take responsibilities of their roles for the two-year period.
De Jager was first appointed Davis Cup captain in September 2005 when South Africa travelled to Casablanca to play against Morocco.
He said he was excited to establish the next generation of South African tennis stars.
“We certainly have the young guns available to make it into the World Group. I have introduced them as part of the squad over the past two years and they have and will continue to grow in the great environment we create during the Davis Cup weeks,” said De Jager.
Grainger said he was honoured with his appointment and that he saw the appointment as a reward for his hard work and dedication.
“It’s true; good things come to people who work hard, have loyalty and are honest. Quite honestly, the appointment came as a shock to me. I am very, very proud and very thankful to be given this wonderful opportunity to captain the Fed Cup side.”
The South African Fed Cup team will travel to Siauliai, Lithuania where they will compete in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II from 16-19 April for the third successive year, following their promotion from Group III in 2011.
South Africa is currently ranked 52 on the world Fed Cup rankings.
