The upcoming Davis Cup tie between South Africa and Estonia will be game, set and match for tennis fans after Vodacom secured the rights to live stream the action from the Irene Country Club 3-5 February.
With only a few available court-side seats still available, Vodacom live! will be the only place for supporters to watch South Africa battle it out in their Euro/Africa Group 2 tie.
A new energy is sweeping through South African tennis, and thanks to Vodacom Live! the country’s impending rise will be documented to fans throughout the country.
Under the guidance of former South African tennis professional Marcos Ondruska and with the help of South African tennis legend Wayne Ferreira, the Davis Cup team has its sights set firmly on returning to the prestigious World Group.
Considered to be the World Cup of Tennis, the Davis Cup is contested between the world’s best men’s national teams dating back to 1900.
South Africa won the Davis Cup title in 1974 and competed in the World Group between 1995 and 1998 which included Ferreira and Ondruska.
Rising star Lloyd Harris is expected to spearhead South Africa’s charge in the singles while the country’s top doubles player Raven Klaasen and Ruan Roelofse are set to take care of business on the Saturday.
Davis Cup ties include two singles rubbers on the first day (Friday, 10h00 start), a doubles rubber on the second day (Saturday, 12h00 start) and finally two singles rubbers on the third day (Sunday, 10h00 start). The first team to claim three rubbers is declared the winner of the tie.
Vodacom will ensure supporters don’t miss a single piece of the action from the first serve to the very last match.
“Vodacom are delighted to be able to bring South African fans the action from the tennis court live to wherever they are,” said Ashraff Paruk, Vodacom’s Managing Executive for Digital Services.
“South African tennis has a clear vision for the sport and we are excited to play a part to bring the game to its supporters.”
SA Davis Cup star, Raven Klaasen, said that the live streaming partnership was a major boost for tennis in the country. “It’s so important that, in order to develop the game in South Africa, we reach tennis fans across all communities. The team and I are delighted that our on court magic can be shared to a larger audience”.
“This is a new era for TSA and we are looking to re-position the Federation as one that is innovative, nimble and dynamic. The way South Africans are consuming video content is changing and sports organisations in this country need to engage with potential new audiences in a proactive manner. This is a giant leap into the future for tennis in South Africa,” concluded Richard Glover, CEO of TSA.
Vodacom live! is free to browse from your Vodacom cell phone and includes other awesome features such as music downloads, news and chat services, and a hub to download the latest games.
How to get Vodacom live!
You will need a data-enabled smartphone to watch.
Visit live.vodacom.co.za and click on the Davis Cup links as advertised on the page or in the menu, and register for the stream.
Or, simply click on the link below and register.
http://live.vodacom.co.za/vlive/portal_page_daviscup
One lucky registered user could also win a Samsung S7 smartphone, kindly sponsored by Samsung.
Other network subscribers will be able to register and enjoy the live streaming facility.