He missed out on Maria Sharapova and is wary of the Williams sisters but, those aside, it is open slather for tournament director Richard Palmer as he seeks out the big names for the ASB Tennis Classic.
Palmer headed on his annual jaunt to the US Open armed with the
backing of his sponsors and his board to "aggressively" target top-20 players.
Jennifer Capriati and the swag of Russians dominating the rankings are primary targets, with a number of up-and-comers.
"This year everyone is fair game," Palmer said on the eve of leaving for New York. "There's been some changes in attitudes and policies around the periphery that makes me more competitive. It doesn't guarantee anything but it makes you a hell of a lot more competitive."
The WTA still has a Clayton's rule that states you cannot offer financial inducements to players above the potential prize-money on offer; in practice it has largely been forgotten or wilfully ignored.
"A top 10-er is certainly not out of the question," Palmer said.
The biggest names in women's tennis, outside possibly Sharapova, are the Williams sisters Venus and Serena, but Palmer will adopt a let-them-come-to-me attitude rather than throwing eggs into their basket.
"They're too unreliable. The number of times they're going to a tournament and then pull out... it doesn't worry them if they get fined."
What Palmer is anxious to avoid is the hunt for a marquee name at the cost of all others. For two years now he has been let down at the 11th hour through withdrawals of one-time Australian-Serb starlet Jelena Dokic and last year Mary Pierce, leaving the tournament without a 'name' to hang it on.
Having said that, world No 1 Maria Sharapova was shamelessly mooted as a player targeted.
"It was no bullshit," Palmer said. "It was no figment of the imagination, I can assure you. There was genuine interest. She wanted to play a tournament, not exos [exhibitions] and she chose Gold Coast. They were very interested and haven't ruled out coming here in the future."
What Palmer wants is depth. He is effectively competing against the Hopman Cup, a tier-three tournament on the Gold Coast (ASB Classic is a tier-four) and a lucrative exhibition tournament in Hong Kong.
The Hopman Cup will only take one player from each country and with eight Russians in the top 20 in the world there is a good chance we'll see more than one of Svetlana Kuznetsova (5), Elena Dementieva (6), Nadia Petrova (9), Anastasia Myskina (13), Elena Bovina (16), Vera Zvonareva (19) and Elena Likhovtseva (20) here in January.
Slovakian beauty Daniela Hantuchova (21) hasn't escaped Palmer's attentions either, in a strictly professional sense.
Former child star turned reformed wastrel Capriati is another name that intrigues Palmer, with the American 54 in the rankings.
"She's a bit like [Monica] Seles. All of a sudden she wasn't playing as much and people didn't make much of a fuss. I'll look at all the options."
- HERALD ON SUNDAY
He missed out on Maria Sharapova and is wary of the Williams sisters but, those aside, it is open slather for tournament director Richard Palmer as he seeks out the big names for the ASB Tennis Classic.
Palmer headed on his annual jaunt to the US Open armed with the
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