Tennis: Drop-outs clear Spaniard's path

Tommy Robredo could face Kiwi Michael Venus. Photo / Getty Images

Not everyone involved in the Heineken Open would have been too disappointed about the spate of pre-tournament withdrawals.

The absence of David Ferrer, John Isner and Gael Monfils was a blow to fans and organisers but something of a boost to those contenders remaining in the field.

Among them is fifth seed Tommy Robredo, who has assumed the spot of Ferrer at the top of the draw and, in his compatriot's place, suddenly finds a relatively clear path to the latter stages of the tournament.

Robredo will see his first court time tomorrow, taking on the winner of the first-round clash between Kiwi No 1 Michael Venus and Colombian qualifier Alejandro Gonzales. And considering neither potential opponent is ranked inside the world's top 100, the Spaniard will be the warm favourite to advance to the quarter-finals. The kind draw creates the realistic possibility of Robredo repeating his 2007 run to the final, when he lost in straight sets to Ferrer, but the tour veteran insisted he was no more confident after his compatriot pulled out.

"We don't care much about these things," he said of the late changes to the field. "Nobody knows what's going to happen, whether they're here or they're not here. The important thing is to be healthy and to try our best in each moment.

"Those guys are not here but there are other players who are great. Anyone is going to be difficult so the important thing is to be perfect yourself."

Robredo may discover, if Venus wins through to the second round, that a large portion of the partisan crowd will be rooting against his quest for perfection. The world No 17 knocked out the local on his last visit to Auckland, in 2011, but he wasn't about to underestimate the size of the challenge the 426th-ranked Kiwi would pose.

"I don't know who I'm going to play against - we'll see what happens - but all the players here are good players and if you don't play your best then you're going to lose. It always happens at every tournament - you have to play your best."

It's a simple philosophy but one that has lifted Robredo back to the top of the sport. After spending much of his career inside the world's top 20, reaching a career-best of No 5 in 2006, Robredo began a serious slide in 2011, when injuries and a lack of form saw him fall as low as 471st.

Robredo enjoyed a resurgence in 2013 and climbed back to the top tier of tennis.

"For 15 years on tour, maybe 10 I was top 20," he said. "I think that's good and maybe I deserve to be there. But you have to be strong, mentally and physically, all year and just keep playing well.

"I was able to come back after one-and-a-half years so hopefully I can keep up there as long as possible. At the moment I feel good and I'll try my best to stay there but the tour is very complicated, there are a lot of players there trying to do well, so it's not going to be easy."