Johannesburg – The heroics of jack-in-the-box David Ferrer, in turning the tide for Spain to retain the prestigious Davis Cup tennis title against the Czech Republic in Barcelona at the weekend, will elevate him to the role of a major drawcard in the South African Open at the Montecasino Entertainment Resort in Johannesburg in February.

This was the view of South African Tennis Association chief executive Ian Smith on Saturday, as Spain swept the boards to claim the Davis Cup for a second successive year by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead after the doubles.

It had been a totally different scenario only 24 hours earlier when the Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek led Ferrer 6-1 6-2 in the second singles match and seemed sure to level the scores at 1-1 after Rafael Nadal had given Spain the lead in the tie’s opening match with a decisive 7-5 6-0 6-2 victory over Tomas Berdych.

Ferrer’s never-say-die spirit, however, prevailed in seemingly hopeless circumstances as he levelled the score at two sets each and then survived two match points in the fifth set to clinch an improbable victory in more than four hours of tension-filled, topsy-turvy tennis.

“Ferrer brought off what was one of the great comebacks in the annals of Davis Cup finals,” said Smith.

“His amazing fitness and breathtaking speed round the court, which we witnessed this year at Montecasino, will make him a special attraction again,” he added.

The 27-year-old Ferrer, who at one stage was ranked fourth in the world, currently occupies 18th position. But with ranking points now awarded for Davis Cup competition, he could move up a position.

And the engaging player, who is referred to as “Speedy Gonzalez”, has already expressed the sentiment of going one better than the semi-final berth he reached at Montecasino in this year’s R22-million tournament.

The South African Open has also attracted the world’s 13th-ranked Frenchman, Gael Monfils. – Sapa