A new pathway for wildcard entry into January’s ASB Classic is intended to reduce the risk of “overplay” for local tennis players.
While news of men’s defending champion Gael Monfils’ return to Stanley Street will have pundits excited, flying under the radar is a new points-race system that will have Kiwi competitors scratching and clawing their way to the main draw.
The spots will be allocated based on the number of ATP and WTA points achieved from the players’ eight best events across the year, replacing the annual end-of-year qualifying tournament in Te Anau.
The highest male and female points-scorer will become the local wildcard for the ASB Classic, with the next-best scorer earning a spot in the qualifying draw in their respective tournaments.
Tennis New Zealand CEO Julie Paterson says a fairer system was needed, following player advice over the last couple of years.
“There were some concerns about the amount of play that our professional athletes were having, leading into the ASB Classic.
“We took some time to go and have a chat with all our players on the professional circuit; we spoke to the Davis Cup and Billie Jean Cup captains and spoke to our coaches.
“We looked at what a couple of other nations do with wildcards into their own tournaments and then decided that the points race was probably the fairest option that we had available to us.”
One of the country’s top male competitors, K.P. Pannu – a two-time local wildcard in Auckland – explained the players’ concern with the additional Te Anau event.
“We just felt like we were playing all year, going to all these tournaments – and then to come back at the end of the year after a long season, which would for most players be the off-season, but for us Kiwis it’s actually the peak of the New Zealand summer, so it was just another tournament that we were having to play.”
Paterson echoes the sentiment based on the feedback she received, saying local hopefuls felt “obligated” to enter the qualifying tournament, as it became a last-ditch option to be in the main draw.
“There was a feeling of ‘overplay’. Travelling down to Te Anau, some players were less enthusiastic about the additional travel leading into the ASB Classic.”
Issues also arose with the Te Anau event clashing with a Challenger tournament in New Caledonia, with Pannu having to skip last year’s qualifier due to the scheduling conflict.
“I chose to go and play New Caledonia because in my eyes, I was guaranteed a main draw opportunity at a $100k event. Whereas if I was to forego that, then I was giving myself a possibility to play in Auckland and possibly leaving myself empty-handed.”
The 28-year-old faces an uphill battle in his quest for a third appearance in Auckland, currently sitting third in the men’s points race with 17 ATP points, behind front-runner James Watt (36) and Ajeet Rai (18), although the race has not been updated since earlier this month.
On the women’s side, Lulu Sun is unsurprisingly leading the way with 275 WTA points – 238 points clear of her nearest rivals Monique Barry (37) and Valentina Ivanov (25).
Should Sun gain direct entry to the ASB Classic based on her world ranking, the second-highest points-scorer would pick up the main-draw wildcard, with the next-best scorer gaining the qualifying draw spot.
Pannu says the format change incentivises players to string together consistent results throughout the year, instead of relying on a single tournament.
“It probably makes December a little less stressful for us because there’s not so much riding on two days of work, because anything can happen in a tennis match.
“It really encourages the Kiwi players to play on the tour and that’s important for those who are trying to make a push into the grand slams and on the Challenger Tour.”
Pannu is hopeful he can return to Stanley Street in January.
“As a Kiwi player, we’re already very limited with opportunities unfortunately, it’s just the nature of the beast.
“There’s not many weeks that we play where three or four days could change your life in terms of the money and in terms of career trajectory.”
Qualifying for the ASB Classic’s main draw is just the first barrier for New Zealand’s tennis hopefuls. The last Kiwi to win a singles match in Auckland was Rubin Statham in 2019.