The Rise Open, a new four-tournament Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger series, is set to invigorate South African tennis. The series features four distinct events scheduled across different dates, aiming to provide extensive opportunities for players. The Rise Irene Open will take place from May 24 to May 31, followed by the Rise Centurion Open from June 1 to June 7. Later in the year, the Tshwane Open is scheduled for July 27 to August 2. The series will conclude with the Gauteng Open, running from August 3 to August 8.
A Decade Without Top-Tier Tennis
South Africa last hosted an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)-level tournament in 2011, marking a significant hiatus in top-tier tennis events for the nation. That event was the South African Tennis Open. The absence of such tournaments for over a decade created a gap for local players to compete on home soil at a professional level. The 2011 South African Tennis Open was a notable occasion for South African tennis, as it featured a significant moment for one of the country's prominent players. Kevin Anderson secured his first ATP-level title at the 2011 South African Tennis Open. His victory provided a highlight for the local tennis community at the time. The tournament's conclusion meant that for many years, South African players aspiring to compete professionally had to travel internationally to gain ATP ranking points and experience against higher-ranked opponents. This long break shows the importance of new initiatives like the Rise Open series in re-establishing a professional tennis circuit within the country. The return of ATP Challenger events aims to provide opportunities that have been largely unavailable for the past 13 years.
Addressing Player Development Gaps
South African tennis players have contended with development challenges, primarily due to a scarcity of local tournaments and the financial strain associated with relocating or traveling internationally for competition. John-Laffnie de Jager, who helped facilitate the Match in Africa event in Cape Town in 2020, noted how other nations have addressed similar issues. He reached the French Open mixed doubles final in 1995.
De Jager pointed to Italy's tennis revolution, which began around 2010, as a model for growth. "Italy is suddenly one of the strongest tennis nations in the world," de Jager stated. "All that happened with Italian tennis is that they had more events … from entry level right through to 1,000 events [such as the Italian Open]. So the more events we have, the more opportunities South African and African players have to compete. They don’t have to travel out of the country or the continent. It’s a lot cheaper for them and they can compete in circumstances that they understand."
De Jager emphasized the importance of increasing local opportunities for players. "For us the biggest thing is that the more events that we can host in South Africa, the better for our players," he said. "It gives them an opportunity to pick up ranking points and they don’t spend too much money when they travel overseas. They also get their rankings up so that they can get into the big tournaments. It’s in the beginning stages, so we’re aiming to go bigger as we grow. But it’s a great opportunity for our local players."
The former professional player reflected on past opportunities. "I grew up in an era where there were a lot of tournaments, there were a lot of players playing and there were great venues," de Jager recalled. "So there were a lot of opportunities for us to play and it gave us a platform to develop and play on the tour. In the last 10 to 15 years, we haven’t had any big events in South Africa. We’ve had some junior events, we’ve had some entry-level ITF World Tennis Tour events, but no Challengers. So, the Challengers are a great step forward for us, because that is the entry level of the ATP." He concluded, "That’s the dream for us – to develop African tennis. Not just in South Africa, but in Africa. To host more events and give more African players the opportunity to compete."
Inspiration from Italian Success
The series aims to reinvigorate the South African tennis landscape by providing a key development pathway for local players. The ATP Challenger Tour, which comprises the Rise Open series, serves as the entry level of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) professional circuit. This level is designed to allow players to gain ranking points and experience necessary to compete in higher-tier ATP events.
Vision for African Tennis
The Rise Open series is scheduled to be played on South African shores for at least the next three years. John-Laffnie de Jager, who reached two mixed doubles Grand Slam finals during his career, including the Australian Open mixed doubles final in 1997, emphasized the long-term vision for the sport. South Africa has not hosted major tennis events in the last 10 to 15 years, a gap the new series aims to address.
De Jager stated that "Italy is suddenly one of the strongest tennis nations in the world," attributing their success to an increase in events "from entry level right through to 1,000 events." He added, "The more events we have, the more opportunities South African and African players have to compete." He noted this approach allows players to avoid international travel, making competition "a lot cheaper for them" and enabling them to "compete in circumstances that they understand." He noted the importance of local opportunities, saying, "For us the biggest thing is that the more events that we can host in South Africa, the better for our players." De Jager concluded, "That’s the dream for us – to develop African tennis. Not just in South Africa, but in Africa. To host more events and give more African players the opportunity to compete."
