INSEPHE kwezethenisi yabahamba ngesihlalo esinamasondo eNingizimu Afrika, uDonald Ramphadi, inyukelwe wugqozi ngenxa yemiphumela emihle eyithole kwi-Australian Open, ngenyanga edlule.
URamphadi (29) ufinyelele kowandulela owamanqamu emqhudelwaneni wabadlala ngayedwa, nalapho ehlulwe ngumdlali ovelele emhlabeni, uNiels Vink, waseNetherlands ngo 6-3, 6-0.
Ubebambisene noYmanitu Silva waseBrazil, kwabadlala ngababili futhi befinyelela kowamanqamu kodwa bahlulwa nguVink nomkhaya wakhe uSam Schroder ngo 6-1, 6-3.
“Umqhudelwano uhambe kahle futhi ngijabule kakhulu ngemiphumela. Benginethemba ngaphambi kokuthi uqale futhi namalungiselelo abemahle. I-Australian Open inendawo ekhethekile enhliziyweni yami ngoba yiGrand Slam yokuqala engiyidlale ngonyaka odlule,” kuchaza uRamphadi.
"Ngonyaka odlule ngangimenyiwe ukuthi ngizodlala kodwa kulokhu ngingene njengomunye wabadlali abahamba phambili ekuklelisweni. Kungijabulisile lokho futhi kukhombisa ukuthi ngiyathuthuka."
I-Australian Open ingomunye wemiqhudelwano emine emikhulu yethenisi edlalwa minyaka yonke, ebizwa ngokuthi ama-Grand Slam. Idlalelwa edolobheni laseMelbourne, e-Australia, ngasekuqaleni konyaka. Eminye imiqhudelwano emithathu emikhulu yiFrench Open, Wimbledon ne-US Open.
URamphadi uwadlale womane amaGrand Slam ngonyaka odlule kodwa akenzanga kahle njengoba esanda kwenza e-Australia. Nyakenye unqobe imiqhudelwano emincane emihlanu, okuhlanganisa iBelgian Open, iKemal Sahin Open neCan Uner Open.
Njengamanje usendaweni yesihlanu uma kukleliswa abesilisa esigabeni seQuad kodwa uhlose ukuthi unyaka uphele esesendaweni engcono.
"Ngifuna ukuqhubeka ngenze kahle futhi ngifuna ukunqoba iGrand Slam kulo nyaka. Ngifuna nokuzibona ngingomunye wabadlali abathathu abahamba phambili emhlabeni," usho kanje uRamphadi.
“Engikufundile e-Australia, wukuthi angingenanga ngephutha, bekungifanele ukuba khona. Linyukile izinga lokuzethemba, ngiyazi ukuthi ngingomunye wabadlali abaphambili. Sengikulungele ukubhekana nanoma yini futhi ngibheke ukuba nonyaka omuhle."
Omunye umdlali waseNingizimu Afrika, odlala ithenisi yabahamba ngesihlalo esinamasondo, oseke wanqoba imiqhudelwano emikhulu nguLucas Sithole, owathatha isicoco se-US Open ngo-2013.
Ngo-2016, wanqoba i-Australian Open ebambisene noDavid Wagner wase-United States.