Remembering ‘Black’ Davis Cup day for Zimbabwe....

By Tichaona Sibanda
05 April 2006

Eight years ago today, I was lucky enough to be in Mildura, Australia, witnessing my beloved country’s Davis Cup tennis team producing one of the greatest sporting comebacks--a true David and Goliath reincarnation.

Having flown from Harare to Johannesburg, we then embarked on the long haul flight to Perth where we spent a few hours at the airport before taking another flight to Melbourne and eventully getting on the last leg of the punishing journey to Mildura. It took us almost 22 hours of flying to get to our destination down under.

After such a torturous journey, none of us ever imagined our boys could recover from jet leg on time, and be able to face a formidable nation in a town that was soon to become synonymous with tennis folklore.

Mildura is located in the far north-western corner of Victoria state, on the banks of the great Murray River, around 400 kilometres from Adelaide and about 550 kilometres from Melbourne.

Originally a rather lifeless area, the region around Mildura was transformed into a rich agricultural oasis thanks to the work of the Chaffey brothers from Canada in the late 1800s due to their experience with creating irrigation settlements.

The city features wide, tree-lined streets and is surrounded by vast numbers of wineries and fruit growing farms. The Murray River offers many activities, such as paddle steamer cruises, swimming, fishing and the popular activity of living on a hired house boat and cruising along the river for a number of days.

Mildura is home to a number of major festivals, and its long history has left behind a legacy of historical buildings including the Rio Vista Mansion, the Old Mildura Homestead, and the Grand Hotel where we were housed for ten days.

I can still vividly remember our group huddled together around a table for breakfast, discussing the pros and cons of the mammoth task that lay ahead. Paul Chingoka, head of delegation and Cosmas Chandisareva, Tennis Zimbabwe official, non-playing captain Garvin Siney, the black brothers Byron and Wayne, Rashid Hassan, Genius Chidzikwe, myself and the late Herald Sports reporter Phillip Magwaza – none of us had the slightest idea that on this last day of the tie, 5 April 1998, Zimbabwe would be put on the world map by the efforts of two fiercely loyal brothers.

Because at the end of that Sunday afternoon, and as World Group tennis newcomers we had dumped Australia out of the Davis Cup, inflicting a humiliating 3-2 first round defeat in a tie marked by acrimony and controversy.

The resolute Black brothers, Wayne and Byron, created history in our country's first appearance in the World Group with a win that was revered in Zimbabwe and left Australia having to qualify for the following year's elite league.

Weakened by the loss of a stricken Pat Rafter and internal unrest after an outburst from absentee star Mark Philippoussis, Australia slumped to one of their most embarrassing Davis Cup defeats in their proud tennis history.

Wayne and Byron, weary and sore after playing on all three days of the tie, went into the reverse singles 1-2 down and pulled off a miraculous comeback.

Australia had held the initiative after world number 39 Jason Stoltenberg beat Wayne Black on the first day and Rafter fell to Byron, but then Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge captured the doubles.

But we levelled the tie at 2-2 on this day eight years ago when Woodforde, substituted for the indisposed Rafter, fell 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 to Wayne Black.

Byron then upset Stoltenberg to clinch the tie, hustling his way to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. Byron was so overwhelmed after sealing the tie that he told me back at the hotel; ‘Big man, (that’s how he addressed me) I think we did the impossible, coming back from 2-1. I’m struggling to get it all in. It will hit me in a few days time, but what we've done today is a miracle.’