Lloyd Harris finding his best form ahead of French Open

As the country’s top tennis player, South Africa’s hopes still rest entirely on Lloyd Harris on the international circuit, and fans will be pleased to see him regaining his best form.

After struggling with injuries, Harris made a comeback last year, competing at all four Grand Slam tournaments, and though he didn’t get past the second round in any of them, he reached the final of an ATP Tour event in Thailand. Despite losing that final, it was his best result in four years.

Having slipped down the rankings, he had to play in the qualifying tournament at the Australian Open in January, and though he did make it into the main draw, he was knocked out in the first round.

Now, however, he seems to be getting back to his best, showing promising form ahead of the French Open to be played at Roland Garros later this month.

Two victories

At an ATP Challenger Tour event in Gwangju a couple of weeks ago, he won his first title since 2019, fighting back after losing the second set to beat Chinese opponent Yunchaokete Bu 6-2 3-6 6-4 in the final.

Then, just one week later, Harris triumphed again at a Challenger Tour event in Shenzhen, defeating Australian player James Duckworth 6-3 6-3 in the final.

That’s not to say Harris is going to blow the world apart at the remaining Grand Slam tournaments on the circuit this year. The Challenge Tour is not top-flight and he still has some work to do to prove that he can regain the form he displayed when he reached the US Open quarterfinals in 2021.

But the 27-year-old player is in the best form we’ve seen him in since he returned from a lengthy injury hiatus last season. And his career is clearly back on track.