Without depth, SA tennis is relying on Lloyd Harris to regain best form

South Africa doesn’t usually have much depth at the highest level of the sport, but the nation has traditionally been able to rely on some stars to shine in international tennis.

And though Lloyd Harris remains the country’s top prospect in the international game, his struggles to regain his best form have resulted in a huge blow for the sport.

Since May last year, when former world No 5 Kevin Anderson announced his retirement, Harris has been the only SA player in the main singles draw at a Grand Slam tournament.

Injury battle

Harris has faced some recent troubles, however, which have prevented him from emerging as the global star he still promises to be.

The 26-year-old player climbed to a career high No 31 in the world rankings in September 2021 after reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open, but then things fell apart.

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After picking up a wrist injury midway through last season he had to take off the rest of the year, and he has had a wobbly comeback in 2023.

He reached the final of a low-key ATP Challenger Tour event in Thailand in January, but he has battled to get back to the form he was in before he was injured.

Struggling for form

Harris hasn’t progressed beyond the opening round in any of the last five tournaments in which he has played, and he is currently ranked at No 294.

After being included in the main draw at the French Open this week, thanks to his protected world ranking, he put up a fight in a tough first-round draw but fell in straight sets to German player Alexander Zverev, the world No 27.

READ MORE: Lloyd Harris stopped by Alexander Zverev in first round of French Open

Whatever issues he’s still facing, it’s crucial that Harris receives whatever support he needs to remain competitive.

Aside from 40-year-old Raven Klaasen – ranked No 90 in the doubles division – Harris is the only other South African man or woman ranked among the top 400 in the world in singles or doubles.

As things stand, without much depth, we are relying on Harris to stand up and carry the SA flag on the international tennis circuit.

Hopefully he can get back to his best soon or we won’t have much to shout about for a while.

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