The Renault South Africa Davis Cup team will face Morocco on home soil later this year as they look to take another step forward in an attempt to return to Group I of the international men's team competition.
The SA side retained their place in World Group II earlier this month by beating Nigeria 3-1 in their playoff clash in Pretoria.
At the World Group II draw held in London on Thursday, the SA team (58th in the Davis Cup rankings) were drawn against Morocco (ranked 51st) for their World Group II tie to be held in September, with South Africa receiving choice of venue, which was decided by lot.
Though he admitted they were expecting a tough battle against Morocco, Renault South Africa Davis Cup captain Pietie Norval was delighted with the result of the draw. "When we spoke about the possible teams we could play in our next Davis Cup match, Morocco came up as one of the three teams we would like to play, especially if we were playing at home, so really we couldn't have asked for anything more in this draw," Norval said.
"We know nothing is going to be easy, just like in the last tie against Nigeria, and we will have to prepare well for it, but I'm extremely excited about what the team can do and we have great things to look forward to."
The last time South Africa met Morocco in the Davis Cup was in 2005, when Morocco earned a 4–1 victory on home soil.
The winning team in the tie in September will compete in the World Group I playoffs early next year for a place in World Group I.