5 minute read
Lifer
LIFER BORN TO WIN
ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL TENNIS PLAYERS EVER (WIMBLEDON AND US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPION AND A CAREERHIGH SINGLES RANK OF NO.7 IN THE WORLD), THESE DAYS YOU’RE LIKELY TO FIND GREER LEO-SMITH ( NEÉ STEVENS) PARTICIPATING IN SOUTH AFRICAN COMPETITIVE FLY FISHING EVENTS, FIGURING OUT YELLOWFISH BOTH IN GABON AND AT HOME, OR KICKING BACK IN THE BUSH.
Photos. Greer Leo-Smith
The first fish I remember catching was a bass with my eldest son and father-in-law on our farm in Pietermaritzburg. I grew up in Pietermaritzburg. I was based out of Boston in the USA during my tennis career. After I got married, we lived on our farm in the Umgeni Valley in KwaZulu-Natal. Then my husband Kevin started putting farms together to form Phinda Game Reserve so we moved there for a couple of years, then Kwando Safaris in Maun, Botswana, followed by Johannesburg and now the Rietspruit Game Reserve in Hoedspruit. I’ve had many different jobs/roles. Professional tennis player. Mother. Owner of Eagle Air in Botswana. Head of performance tennis and coaching for South African Tennis. Fed Cup Captain. I now have Greer’s Sport and Cycling/Giant Hoedspruit. On a typical day I am up early then I head into the shop. Every evening I go on a game drive with my husband Kevin on the Rietspruit Game Reserve. If the chance arises, I sneak off fishing either on the Blyde River or I travel to Nooitgedacht Trout Lodge or the Sabie River.
My home waters would be the Blyde River below the Blyde Dam in Mpumalanga. Hoedspruit Fly Fishing Club now has some water on the Blyde River and we are very grateful to the farmers who allow us to fish on their properties. It is tough fishing as the Lowveld yellows are very challenging and we are still trying to crack the code. If this is not challenging enough, we have to be on the lookout for crocs and hippos.
The best advice I have ever been given is to believe in yourself. If you have the dream, you can make it happen. What I am most proud of is probably not giving up on a dream. After a major knee injury in 1978 everyone said I would never compete again. Eight months later I came back wearing a big brace. I beat Chris Evert (world Number One at the time) in the first round of the 1979 Virginia Slims of Hollywood event and then went on to win the tournament. I was never out of the top Ten ladies ranking for the rest of my career.
Something I have had to work at in life is to stay
focused. If I am not interested in something, I kind of get easily distracted. What’s come naturally to me is sport. If I have a passion for something I can normally achieve some success.
The most satisfying fish I ever caught was a yellowfish on the Nyanga River in Gabon. It was an amazing experience as no one had fly fished the river before. Trying to find out what fly to use was challenging. In the end I went for a mop (I know the purist are shocked) as it resembled the palms that were fruiting at the time.
One place, never again, is Armenia. It was one of the dirtiest countries I have ever been to and, as a woman, I felt very uncomfortable. It was made harder trying to look after four very attractive young ladies that were part of the SA Fed Cup team.
One place I have to return to is New Zealand. I would like to go back to explore and fish their amazing rivers with the friends I made during the Commonwealth Fly fishing Competition in New Zealand. Our time there was rather stressful as it was the start of Covid and we were dealing with the uncertainty of flights home. Plus, two of my team members were not able to compete due to a sinus infection and the covid tests taking so long to process meant that they didn’t get to fish the competition. It was a nightmare. I also have family in New Zealand so the incentive is two-fold.
It’s never okay for an angler to lie, except when you are out-fishing your son. The handiest survival skill I have is being able to make a plan. After living in the bush, I am pretty good at that.
In terms of a single experience, the biggest adventure
I have ever been on was definitely walking the forest elephant trails and exploring the Nyanga and Douky Rivers on the Nyanga Ranch in Gabon. I also caught a tetra using a bow and arrow cast while sitting in the fork of a tree, which was a first for me.
The best way to face one’s fears is head on.
In my experience, the hardest species to target are the Lowveld yellows on our local waters. I’d like to catch tarpon and bone fish on fly before I die.
What I get out of fly fishing has changed over the
years. The more I fish and learn, the more I enjoy the challenge. Fly fishing feeds my soul.
Looking back on my life, I would not change anything.
I have had an amazing life. The challenges and success have been many. Sport is a way of life for me and I am lucky to have been able to compete in a number of different sports after tennis. Having a husband who has exposed me and our boys to the wonders of Africa and who has encouraged me to live life to the full has been wonderful.
The last fish I caught was a rainbow trout on the Blyde River at Pilgrims Rest.
