Tennis: Olympics making it hard to pin down top players

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Last year, the millennium stalled efforts to sign players for the Auckland men's and women's tennis opens. This time it is the Olympics.

Just back from the United States Open, Auckland tennis bosses have found it impossible to get players to commit themselves to January's ASB Bank Classic for women and the men's Heineken Open.

"Contrary to what has been reported here, the Olympics are really big for many tennis players," said Richard Palmer, who was in New York to recruit players for the women's tournament. "The players or their agents didn't want to know. They said they were not even thinking about next year until after the Olympics.

"Overall though, there was a much more positive attitude among the players. Last year they wanted to stay at home at the time of our tournament because of the millennium, but they indicated that was not the case now.

"I talked to anyone and everyone, and unlike last year, I didn't get a flat 'no.' We still hope to get two or three of the top 20 players," Palmer said. "But, as the men are finding, the weak New Zealand dollar is killing us."

Graham Pearce, Auckland Tennis chief executive and director of the men's tournament, said the increase in prizemoney (from $US350,000 to $US375,000) for New Zealand's richest sporting event might not be a great help in attracting big-name players.

"The top 100 or even 200 players are well aware of our event," Pearce said. "We have never had any negatives from the players, but there are other factors to be taken into account before players will commit themselves.

"Our tournament is in the second week of the ATP Tour and clashes with a tournament in Sydney and an exhibition event in Melbourne, which generally attracts eight of the world's best.

"Often the agents, not the players, decide which tournaments they will play. There are also three tournaments in the first week of January - in Doha, Adelaide and Chennai - as well as the Hopman Cup in Perth. They can all have a bearing on what players might do."

Pearce said he was still hoping for at least one or two of the top 20, and possibly top 10, players, as well as those regarded as the big names such as Michael Chang, who played in Auckland in January.

"We know we will have a strong field - we always do - but I would not like to speculate.

"Right before the Olympics is not the time to announce players, anyway."

Pearce pointed out that newly crowned US Open champion Russian Marat Safin played in the Auckland tournament in 1999, and was beaten by Kiwi No 1 Brett Steven.

That, Pearce said, was the kind of player he was always looking for.

The 2001 tournament, with the Vodafone singles and doubles, will be played from January 8 to13 after qualifying play on January 6 and 7.

The women's classic will be played from January 1 to 6.