Zoë Kruger has travelled far and wide since her first meeting with a racket in her grandmother’s garage. Today, she is one of South Africa’s rising tennis stars. But there is more to tennis for the daughter of late Springbok legend Ruben Kruger. She speaks to MatieMedia’s Jean-Marie Uys about smashing her first professional title at the courts where her journey first began.
Zoë Kruger, professional South African tennis player, says it is important to focus on “the next ball [and] the next point” to stay in the game and “out of the clouds”. PHOTO: Supplied/Zoë Kruger
Last year, at the age of 19, the South African tennis player Zoë Kruger won her first international professional title.
“When I won, it was out of this world,” she recalls. “An unexplainable feeling. I didn’t even think it was possible,” Zoë says as she sits on her couch in her Cape Town apartment.
She entered the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W25 singles tournament in Pretoria as a wild card. Yet, in the final she bested the then Dutch fifth seed, Suzan Lamens, in three sets (3-6; 6-4; 6-4). Her performance throughout 2021 improved her ranking with 419 spots, according to the ITF year-end leader board. By the end of 2021, she found herself ranked 447th, and by April this year, 424th.
She’s a fighter. Zoë’s going to fight from the first point until the last.
Her win against Lamens was achieved at the same courts where she started playing as a youngster, around 2005 and 2006.
“It is very motivating,” says Zoë, now 20, about that win. “The journey started there, but it is not ending there; it’s just going onwards.”
Zoë Kruger has made a lot of sacrifices throughout the course of her tennis career – the biggest being able to have a “normal life” like her peers, she says. “You have to live with a completely different mindset to be able to achieve what you want,” says Zoë. PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
Unconventional introduction to tennis
Zoë describes the start of her tennis journey as very unconventional. Hours lapsed as she practised in her grandmother’s garage in Pretoria when she was about three or four years old, says Zoë.
She recalls her father, late Springbok rugby player Ruben Kruger, drawing a makeshift net with blue chalk against the garage wall.
“I played most of my childhood years against the garage [wall],” she says. To this day, the makeshift net is applied to the wall, according to Zoë.
She stepped onto court for the first time at Curro Hazeldean Primary School approximately one year after drilling the wall. That’s when her uncle and professional tennis coach Frans Cronjé took her under his wing.
Tennis taking flight
Her ranking climbed to number one in South Africa in the age 12 group when she was 10 years old, earning her an invitation to a clinic hosted by former coach of Maria Sharapova, Thomas Högstedt, says Zoë.
“He scouted me and asked me to come to America at the end of the year to play some tournaments,” says Zoë.
Soon thereafter Zoë was signed with the IMG Tennis Academy in Florida and received private coaching from Högstedt, she says. Amongst others, the academy nurtured the careers of André Agassi, Serena Williams, and Boris Becker, according to IMG’s website.
“It was definitely a dream to be sent to an academy like that. It was the best years of my life and the opportunity was incredible,” says Zoë.
Winning the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W25 tournament in October 2021 scored Zoë Kruger a total 1 000 000 points on the national leader board, according to the Tennis South Africa (TSA) website. Her highest global career ranking of 424 was achieved in April 2022, according to ITF’s website. PHOTO: Supplied/Zoë Kruger. GRAPHIC: Jean-Marie Uys
It runs in the family
The Kruger family – Zoë, her mother Lize, and younger sister Isabella – took permanent residence in Florida in 2014. Both sisters are signed with IMG Academy.
The sisters started travelling together for tournaments soon after Isabella also achieved professional status at the minimum age of 14.
“It’s nice to have someone that will always support you on and off court,” says Isabella, who is currently ranked number one in South Africa, and holds an ITF ranking of 361.
She describes Zoë as “the responsible one” and good at building connections with others.
They teamed up as doubles partners this year in international doubles tournaments and are thinking about making it “a regular thing going forward”, according to Zoë.
The Kruger sisters, Zoë and Isabella, share a very close relationship and often travel together for tournaments, according to Zoë. “It’s always nice having someone to [practise] and be open and honest with,” says Zoë. PHOTO: Instagram/@bellakruger
Professionals during a pandemic
The family returned to their home in Pretoria with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. The Kruger sisters improvised with at-home workouts in their backyard, according to Zoë.
Apart from tennis, Zoë also practised some newfound interests during the national lockdown period.
“I [started] baking and cooking and got a pasta maker, [making] everything from scratch. It was definitely something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but never had the chance to,” says Zoë.
She also developed a “slight obsession” with plants, Zoë says, and gestures toward her coffee table where no inch is spared amongst various house plants.
Zoë Kruger says she’s developed a “slight obsession” with plants. “I literally talk to them, named them, [and] play them music. People think I’m crazy, but I just love having plants,” says Zoë. PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
Settled in the Mother City
Zoë and Isabella set roots in Cape Town last year as flatmates following their pre-season training at the Anthony Harris Tennis Academy in Sea Point.
They are both training at the academy for the time being, with no immediate plans to move back to Florida, says Zoë.
She spends nearly six hours every working day training at the Anthony Harris Tennis Academy. Saturdays involve morning training sessions and Sundays are rest days, according to Zoë.
A new journey ignites
Although Zoë’s training keeps her occupied, she is ready to start a new journey towards studying a pre-medical degree online. She is specifically interested in genetics and is already taking online courses, says Zoë.
“It is beyond interesting [and] didn’t really sit with me until about two years ago,” says Zoë.
Her scientific aspiration was sparked by her late father’s battle with brain cancer, she says. His interest in the different treatments of brain cancer ignited a “definite spark” towards the field, according to Zoë.
As Zoë Kruger started competing from an early age, her father came to watch her play – equipped with an old-school video camera. “One time he forgot the camera and I was playing so well. I literally yelled that he had to go back to the house to fetch his camera. He came back and filmed me,” she recalls. Pictured above is their father, Ruben Kruger, Isabella, Zoë, and their mother, Lize. PHOTO: Supplied/Zoë Kruger
When the going gets tough
“She’s a fighter. Zoë’s going to fight from the first point until the last,” describes Anthony Harris, coach and co-founder of the Anthony Harris Tennis Academy.
“Off court,” says Harris, “she’s a pleasure to be around.”
He points out that she has a fun personality and “really amazing” gentle, kind and soft nature.
The journey started there, but it is not ending there; it’s just going onwards.
The tenacity that Harris refers to, showed in her stand-off with Lamens for the ITF W25 title. Zoë says that she withstood the pressure during the game by remaining focused only on the next point.
“It was such a big moment, but I kept my head in the game,” she says.
Zoë was seven years old when her father passed away. She believes that she beats the pressures of the battles on court by knowing that the strength her father had is within her.
“I have what it takes, because he had what it took. That calms me down and pushes me to go for that extra mile,” she says.