Tennis: Classic becoming the place to play

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Eleni Daniilidou's win in the ASB Classic final kicked off the 30th year of the WTA Tour in style.

And it is the panache, glitz and glamour which plays a big part in making Auckland one of the most popular spots on the tour's 60-tournaments-a-year schedule.

Before she left for Australia and this week's Sydney tournament, star attraction Mary Pierce, told WTA supervisor Brenda Perry that she was amazed at what, as a tier four tournament, the classic achieved. Perry agreed.

"Some aspects of the tournament here are as good or better than any tournament in the world," Perry said. "The attention to detail, the innovations and improvements from year to year create an atmosphere rarely matched.

"Tournament director Richard Palmer and his staff do not think like a little tournament. The small things, like having a piano and singer in the lobby, the Glam Slam theme, the on court introductions and the general atmosphere are not seen anywhere in tier four or even much higher rated tournaments anywhere.

"Very few tournaments create a centre court atmosphere like you have here," she said. "This is the best-attended tournament at this level anywhere in the world. It outdoes many higher level tournaments.

"More importantly, the level of pride and performance shown by the organisers is acknowledged by the players who feel they are recognised as individuals, as performers who have achieved something.

"That is reflected in the high percentage who come back to play here," said Perry, who played in the first of the 19 Classics before taking the tournament director's role for two years. For the past 14 years she has worked for the WTA.

Staging the tournament, the first of the New Year and an important lead-in to the Australian Open, does not come cheap.

Organisers must put up US$140,000 ($264,850) for prizemoney, of which 7 per cent goes to the WTA.

"That is about half of our budget," said Palmer.

"Costs have escalated in the past couple of years. Providing security was not an issue two years ago. Now it is a cost.

"Meals for players and volunteers account for around $20,000. Add in accommodation, transport, payments to match officials and paying for television coverage - the biggest cost of all - quickly adds up."

The longest-running tier four tournament on the WTA calendar, the Classic has blossomed since the switch from its post-Australian Open date to being the first of the New Year in 1996.

"It was terrible when we followed Australia,' said Palmer. "Players knocked out in the first round in Melbourne did not want to hang around in this part of the world for 12 days while those who went right through over there had had enough.

"Now we get players keen for match play before the Open. The field reflects that."

While the WTA is taking a long look at their tournament structure and perhaps a cut in the number of tournaments, Auckland's place seems secure.

"We have to look at our sport as a whole,' said Perry. "The Grand Slams are one such example. They are obviously the jewels in the WTA and ATP crowns but we have to ask what do they contribute to our sport as a whole. Sure, the four countries which host them profit nicely but the sport worldwide does not.

"Having players from South Korea and Greece in the final this time shows how the sport has moved on.

"I doubt if 30 years ago when the WTA started there was a professional sportswoman in either country. Tennis has shown it's now okay for women to be athletic and feminine.

"There have been huge changes. Five years ago you would not have seen a stationary cycle in the locker room. Now it is mandatory and used by players warming up and warming down all the time.

"Take Daniilidou as an example. She has won only once on the tour before coming to Auckland yet she arrived with a trainer, coach and physio. Last year it was only her coach."

For someone whose first contact with the Stanley St courts was as a ballgirl for a Billie Jean King match, Perry is continually amazed at what the tournament has achieved.

"Some players have made their name here. That they then keep coming back is a real credit to Richard Palmer and his team - and the tournament as a whole."