WITH all the ATP Tour and WTA Tour tournaments on hiatus for the time being, Draft Central will take a look at various nations across the globe and analyse how the top players from that nation are performing. Our first nation is Zimbabwe.
Top ATP player: Benjamin Lock
Rank: #433 (as of March 9, 2020)
Age: 27
Points: 79
Tournaments Played: 30
The top ranked Zimbabwean is better known for his doubles where he is ranked 232nd in the world. He comes in at 433rd in his singles and was born in Harare to qualify for his national status. He resides in Tallahassee, Florida now and is a towering figure at 198cm. Whilst Lock is 27, he has played just the 12 ATP Tour matches, with a strong record of nine wins. He has played exclusively on the hard courts of America, and seven of his nine wins have come outdoors. He is unbeaten after winning the first set, and against the two left handers he has faced, but is only 1-3 after losing the first set.
Almost exclusively a doubles player, Lock most recently represented his nation in Davis Cup doubles with younger brother Courtney John Lock, downing Syria’s Yacoub Makzoume and Hazem Naw in three sets, 6-1 4-6 6-3. Lock’s most recent title success came in Launceston on the Challenger Tour where he took out the title with partner, American partner Evan King.
Other notable Zimbabwe players: Takanyi Garanganga and Mehluli Don Ayanda Sibanda.
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Top WTA Tour player: Nil.
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Summary:
Zimbabwe is currently in World Group II of the Davis Cup standings, and after defeating Syria 3-1 will face China for a spot in World Group I later in the year. The tie will be hosted in Zimbabwe from September 18-20 and will be the underdogs, but could always surprise on home courts.