Grew up in copper mining town of Okiep in North Western Cape and his tennis talents were discovered when he was nine years old...Mother, Mary, is a housewife; Father, William, passed away when he was 16...Has four brothers (one passed away in 2006) and two sisters...Played on a make-shift gravel court in his home's backyard in Namaqualand where he tied orange bags together to serve as the net...No. 1 junior player in South Africa until he was 18 and Top 30 in singles, Top 20 in doubles in world junior rankings...Considers return game, quickness and mental aspect his strengths...Says best moment in his career was reaching Australian Open SF in 2003 and '08, and playing Davis Cup for his country...Has a 10-5 career Davis Cup record (10-3 in doubles) in 14 ties...Coached by counryman and former ATP pro Piet Norval.

(Jan. 2009)