From Ermelo to the world Stage: Tennis super coach John‑Laffnie de Jager keeps raising the game

Former ATP doubles star John‑Laffnie de Jager, who turned a birth injury that damaged a nerve in his leg into what he calls his “greatest gift,” recently guided Team World to victory in the inaugural World Tennis Continental Cup in Shenzhen, China. In an interview with BizNews, the South African who grew up on a farm in Ermelo reflects on the resilience he built overcoming his disability, his partnerships with legends like Martina Navratilova, and organising the Match in Africa between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Cape Town, which drew a world‑record 51,954 spectators. And he’s far from done. De Jager is now partnering with Stellenbosch University to build a state‑of‑the‑art tennis facility to nurture emerging talent across Africa and revive the South African Open. He has also launched a new leadership venture, Beyond the Baseline, translating tennis‑honed grit, resilience, and mental conditioning into powerful tools for business leaders, teams, and high performers.