The Irene Country Club in Johannesburg, South Africa is once again preparing to host the Davis Cup this year, following previous tennis matches in 2014 between South Africa and Lithuania, and South Africa and Monaco.
This time around, South Africa will take on Ireland in Group II competition July 17-19. The two nations have played each other twice before (1927 and 1931), with South Africa winning on both occasions.
Gavin Crookes, the president and acting CEO of Tennis South Africa (TSA), said, “Irene Country Club proved last year to be fantastic hosts at their superb venue. TSA received huge kudos from both visiting teams and our local players as well as the spectators on the choice of venue, and it made complete sense to play this tie at this outstanding venue.
He continued, “The Davis Cup is one of the most prestigious events on the tennis calendar and is vital for the growth of the sport in South Africa. To be able to hold this event in a superb facility of this nature only adds to its stature.”
Irene Country Club Tennis Chairman Craig Herbst commented, “We are delighted once again to be working with TSA in hosting the South Africa vs. Ireland Davis Cup Tie at Irene Country Club in July.
“The club prides itself on outstanding sporting and entertainment facilities and for the Davis Cup tie; our guests and tennis fans will be blown away by our venue and hospitality. We will make sure the tie is one to remember and becomes a must visit stop on the South African tennis calendar. We invite the public to participate in this year’s Davis Cup and to come and proudly support our national team with pride.”
South Africa beat Monaco 3-2 in 2014 in the first-ever tie played at the Irene Country Club. But three months later, also at Irene, South Africa lost by the same scoreline (3-2) to Lithuania.
Anyone going to the event can also make the most of other entertainment on offer in the region. For example, with the increasingly liberal online gaming laws in South Africa, even football fans can get a piece of the action with games from Springbok Casino. Of course, there is also South Africa’s amazing scenery, which offers an abundance of wildlife tours. Kruger National Park is just one place where visitors can expect to see rhinos, lions and tigers close up.
The Irene Country Club also offers Davis Cup visitors the chance to partake in other activities that they have on site. As well as tennis, the impressive venue has golf, squash, cricket, bowling alleys, top-class restaurants, and conference facilities.
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