South African tennis players produced a mixed bag of results on the international stage while the national federation made a major step towards reviving the sport in the country.
Kevin Anderson, the country’s top men’s singles ace, experienced an injury-plagued season which saw him plummet from a career-high world ranking of 10th at the beginning of the season to 67.
While Anderson would love to see the back of 2016, South African doubles star Raven Klaasen can look back on a stellar year in his specialist event.
The decision to call time on his singles career four years ago is finally paying dividends as the 2014 Australian Open runner-up is cementing himself as one of the top doubles players in the world.
Klaasen reached a career-high ninth in the ATP doubles rankings in July after featuring in the semi-finals of Wimbledon with American partner Rajeev Ram.
The duo experienced a stellar 2016 - they won a grass-court title in Halle and a hard-court tournament in Chengdu, while finishing as runners-up at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Miami.
Later the in the year Klaasen would reach another major milestone when he earned a place in the ATP World Finals for the first time in his career.
The American-South African combination narrowly missed out on that title when they lost to Finland’s Henri Kontinen and Australia’s John Peers 2-6, 6-1, 10-8.
Klaasen/Ram made a dream start on their debut when they upset top seeds, Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, in straight sets before claiming the scalps of world No 1 team Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in the semi-final.
Meanwhile, rising singles star Lloyd Harris made serious inroads on the ATP world rankings in only his first year as a professional tennis player.
Harris, pictured, spearheaded South Africa’s attack in their first-round Davis Cup Euro/Africa Group II tie at Irene Country Club where the team claimed a whitewash victory over Luxembourg.
In the away tie in Lithuania in round two, after Harris and Tucker Vorster lost their opening singles rubbers, Klaassen and Ruan Roelofse won the doubles match.
Kevin Anderson. Photo: EPA
South Africa nevertheless bowed out 3-2 to remain in the Euro/Africa Group II for 2017.
Harris went on a rampant run towards the end of the year winning 30 matches and six titles in succession including three Digicall Futures tennis series crowns in Stellenbosch before his streak came to an end in the Czech Republic.
The 19-year-old stared the year ranked 358th in the world, gaining 74 places over the 12 months.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s women’s tennis battled to make an impact following the retirement of top female player Chanelle Scheepers in 2015.
The Fed Cup team suffered defeats against Great Britain and Georgia in their Fed Cup Euro Africa Group 1 Pool B ties in Eilat, Israel.
The team lost 2-0 to Hungary in their relegation tie and will play in the Euro/Africa Group 2 next year. Last year South Africa won their tournament in Estonia to be promoted to Euro Africa Group 1.
On the administrative front, Tennis SA (TSA) made some positive strides forward this year appointing former Arsenal Football Club and Cricket SA executive Richard Glover as its new CEO.
Glover touted the return of the Super Squad from the the 1990s where world-class players such as Wayne Ferreira and Amanda Coetzer emerged from the system before it was derailed due to a lack of finances.
It was an otherwise forgettable year for a sport that was once one of the top performing codes in the country.
There is a lot to look forward to in 2017, with Anderson hopefully making a return to full fitness and Harris continuing his rise in the world rankings.
Klaasen, meanwhile, Klaasen has set his sights on a No 1 ranking and a possible grand slam.