Table of Contents
- The South African Tennis Open held its prestige for decades, but it’s not there anymore
- The white minority settlers in South Africa – the protagonists and enablers of the apartheid rallied for the tournament to be held in the capital, Johannesburg
- Its history dates back to 1891 when it was introduced by the Port Elizabeth Lawn Tennis Club
The South African Tennis Open held its prestige for decades, but it’s not there anymore.
It was the only ATP Tour tournament held in Africa, but this is no longer the case since 2011, when the country hosted the last ATP-sanctioned tournament.
The white minority settlers in South Africa – the protagonists and enablers of the apartheid rallied for the tournament to be held in the capital, Johannesburg.
It featured men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles.
Is South African Tennis Open Still There?
The South African Tennis Open is no longer there. It was last held in 2011 after years of hosting top global tennis players for years.
Its history dates back to 1891 when it was introduced by the Port Elizabeth Lawn Tennis Club. The scenic Port Elizabeth. However, the tournament returned in 1903 with more venues on its calendar.
Kholo Montsi is one of the top tennis players in South Africa. The South African Tennis Open held its prestige for decades but it’s not there anymore. It was last held in 2011 after years of hosting top global tennis players for years.
Its history dates back to 1891 when it was introduced by the Port Elizabeth Lawn Tennis Club. The scenic Port Elizabeth. Photo/Tennis South Africa
Besides Port Elizabeth which was the primary venue of the South African tournament Pretoria, Bloemfontein, East London Kimberly, Durban and Cape Town hosted the tournament opens from 1903 to 1915.
They paused due to the outbreak of war, which ended in 1919, and things returned to normalcy.
Where was South Africa Tennis Open Played?
Johannesburg’s Ellis Park was officially named the host venue of the South African Tennis Open. Finals always brought an aura of untold energy as players took on each other.
As fate would have it, the tournament was suspended in 1990, leaving fans missing the best-of-five sets.
When the suspension was lifted in 1992 after joining the ATP Tour, finals were to come only with the best-of-three sets for the men’s singles.
A tennis match going down at Wimbledon in the past. South African Tennis Open was last held in 2011. The ATP Tour cancelled it due to deplorable infrastructure and financial constraints. Photo/ATP Tour
This went on until 1996, when the tournament was suspended for 10 years, until 2006.
The ATP Tour would later return in 2009 and went on until 2011, when the last of the South African Tennis Open was heard of.
In its decision to pull the plug, ATP Tour cited the financial constraints that tournament organisers grappled with.
Further, the Open only garnered minimal global appeal and had deplorable infrastructure.
Some of the big names that played in South Africa include Arthur Ashe, the first African American man to win a Grand Slam at Wimbledon.
Ashe had both a historical and an interesting moment at the South African Open. Back is 1970, the South African government (held by the Boers, the minority white settlers in South Africa), denied him a visa to enter the country.
They would reconsider in 1973 and grant him a visa. He told the organisers of the tournament that he would only play here if black South Africans were allowed into the stands where the whites were.
