Women's tennis Women's tennis is one of the most popular sports for women. It is one of the few sports in which women command fame and popularity that equal those of their male counterparts. Women's Tennis Association is the main organisation which runs femal ...

in South Africa has historically been played primarily by English-speaking whites, with lower adoption rates by other groups of women in the country. International ties existed early with an Australian team touring in 1928. South Africa began competing in the

Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was chan ...

during the inaugural year of the competition. From 1972 until the 1980s, there were some restrictions for South African tennis players.

History

Historically, women's tennis in South Africa has been played primarily by English-speaking whites. The game was also embraced by Afrikaners, but not at the same competitive level as their English-speaking peers. Women's tennis was being played in South Africa by 1928, when a women's tennis team from Australia visited the country. In 1963, South Africa began competing in the

(Federation Cup) when the competition was inaugurated. The country was banned from playing in 1971, but this ban was lifted in 1972, and the

International Tennis Federation The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. It was founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by twelve national tennis associations. As of 2016, there ...

moved South Africa to the Latin American region to avoid regional conflicts over its participation. South Africa won the event in 1972, when it was held in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

. However, later that year, the country was banned from competing. This ban remained in place from 1972 until the 1980s, although South African tennis players were still allowed to compete in international tournaments as individuals and members of the International Tennis Federation were allowed to play in South Africa. During the 1980s and 1990s, some South African women's tennis players attended American universities and played for their tennis teams. As of 1987, they constituted the second largest international group recruited to play, making up an estimated 10.3% of all foreign players in

Division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

I tennis programs. In 2001, for the first time, a white South African professional tennis player,

Amanda Coetzer Amanda Coetzer (born 22 October 1971, in Hoopstad) is a South African former professional tennis player. Coetzer finished in the WTA rankings top 20 for ten consecutive seasons (1992–2001), peaking at world No. 3. She reached three Grand Slam ...

, partnered with a black American,

Lori McNeil Lori McNeil (born December 18, 1963) is an American tennis coach and former top 10 professional tennis player. McNeil was a singles semifinalist at the US Open in 1987 and Wimbledon in 1994, a women's doubles finalist at the Australian Open in ...

, to play professional doubles.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{refend

History

See also

References

Bibliography