Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Lock, who’s competing at the Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger, in Bengaluru on February 20, 2023.
| Photo Credit: N. Sudarshan
Benjamin Lock’s tennis life mirrors that of many Indians. For the 29-year-old from Zimbabwe, there’s a pretty wealthy tennis historical past to get impressed by — Cara Black, Wayne Black, Byron Black and Kevin Ullyett have all received doubles Grand Slam titles, with Cara even occupying the No. 1 spot in ladies’s doubles. The predicaments align too — restricted federation help and no clear pathway to the high.
But the World No. 195, in Bengaluru for the Challenger 100, is decided to come good, unburdened by the weight of historical past, and with the help of a tennis loving household — his dad and mom performed for Zimbabwe and uncle, Roy Stilwell, performed at Wimbledon in 1958.
“As a junior I had a lot of success, beating a number of top-10 players,” says Lock. “From then I knew that I had good talent. [But] when I was 18, my family couldn’t afford me turning professional. Zimbabwe has no tennis infrastructure and I had no option but to go to the United States [Florida State University].”
“There I finished top-10 in singles and was beating the best. I also played [Daniil] Medvedev (mid-2016) while still in college, at a Challenger. He was top-100 then. It was a close match and a few months later he was top-20.”
But faculty tennis didn’t assist Lock on the professional tour. Starting 2019, rule modifications meant International Tennis Federation (ITF) occasions, the lowest tier in the recreation, stopped providing ATP factors. Zimbabwe had solely ITF tournaments.
“There were no Challengers, so I couldn’t get ATP points. I went backwards. But I overcame that and even won a tournament in Australia. I also beat Lorenzo Musetti [World No. 18 now]. But then COVID-19 hit and it was a different tour.”
One factor that saved him going was the Davis Cup. Earlier this month he notched up his twenty ninth win in the premier competitors that positioned him second in the all-time win checklist for Zimbabwe, behind Byron (39).
“Davis Cup is very special for me. I grew up watching some of the biggest stars in Harare. John McEnroe as captain, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Goran Ivanisevic as captains…. I was so inspired to play.”
Lock now hopes to translate the Cup success on the Tour. “I genuinely feel my tennis age is 23-24, keeping in mind the college years, rule changes and pandemic. Now, on my own merit, I play Challenger qualifying, and at the weaker ones the main draw. I am committed to getting better.”
