Tennis: Hunt begins for next year's big(ish) names

David Nalbandian withdrew with injury. Photo / Brett Phibbs

You've got to feel for Richard Palmer and Brenda Perry, the directors of Auckland's men's and women's professional tennis tournaments.

No sooner is the last point played than speculation starts turning to next year's event. Such is the way of these things that the pair will always be expected to produce an event at least on a par - but ideally better - than the previous year.

With the job involving balancing the whims and financial demands of players, the expectations of sponsors and the desires of an increasingly fickle and choice-laden sporting public, it is surely no easy task.

Then there are the intangibles, such as luck. For all Palmer and Perry's best-laid plans, much of what they aim to achieve is entirely out of their hands. Tennis tournaments have a life of their own.

With five of the world's top 20 players in the field, this year's ASB Classic should have been just that. Instead it was often a dull procession. Of the 31 matches, just three went to three sets, and there wasn't a single tiebreak in the tournament.

As a sports fan I want to see two things - genius at work and intense competition. Ideally I'd like both, but I'll settle for either. I'm happy to watch Roger Federer thrash Rubin Statham, but not so thrilled about seeing Li Na bowing out tamely to some girl from Estonia.

Sadly, this year's Classic failed to deliver on both counts. It was the sort of lifeless event that made you wonder about the future of women's tennis.

As a fellow reporter commented on day one: "Chicks' tennis without star power is just patter tennis".

Harsh but true. It was the star power of Lindsay Davenport and the thrilling run of local hope Marina Erakovic in 2008, and the class of Elena Dementieva in 2009, that made the women's tournament the one to see in those years.

You can't blame Perry for what transpired this year. She assembled an excellent-looking field. It wasn't her fault many of the players seemed to lack either the stomach or the ability to put up a decent fight. And it wasn't her fault local hope Sacha Jones pulled out with an abdominal injury, or that Erakovic is not yet back to her best.

Dealing with the men's tournament, Palmer must have likewise feared the worst. He put out the worst daily schedule in his 14-year career on the Monday, saw top drawcard David Nalbandian withdraw through injury and watched as the much-hyped Bryan brothers were sent packing from the doubles in round one. At that stage, Palmer couldn't have known what a fine tournament this year's Heineken Open would turn out to be.

Seeds tumbled but, with John Isner and Arnaud Clement providing an enjoyable mixture of power and class, that mattered not a jot.

It's too early to tell whether Isner will tick the genius box - the likelihood is not - but his incredible serve and never-say-die attitude, combined with an awkwardness born of his lanky stature that at times makes him look a complete gumbie, made him easy to like.

Clement, with his diminutive size and utter lack of fashion sense, also provided a compelling storyline - the old-stager somehow recapturing a talent that had seemed long lost. The 33-year-old's best year's are so far behind him they probably occurred in an era when his lilac bandannas were actually cool, but Clement knocked out three seeds, making them look bad in the process.

Throw in a Boys' Own run to the doubles title from local zero-turned-hero Marcus Daniell and the Heineken had everything. Daniell's charming struggles to comprehend his success were the icing on a tasty, multi-layered cake.

In terms of ticket sales, this year's Heineken Open actually eclipsed last year's Del Potro title run by a few hundred - making it the most successful ever - while the ASB was down 100 ticket sales or so.

Those figures suggest that Auckland's tennis tournaments are extremely stable events. They are well liked and well supported by players, spectators and committed sponsors.

Palmer and Perry are hopefully set for a well-earned couple of weeks off, but after that the cycle will start again. Tennis fans can rest safe in the knowledge that they'll both do a fine job and will procure the best possible fields for next year's tournament.

After that, the chips will fall where they will. It would be a major surprise if watching that process didn't, as usual, turn out to be one of the highlights of the New Zealand sporting summer.