Former Auckland champion Jonas Bjorkman has been given the second wildcard to the Heineken Open men's tennis championship starting here on January 10.
The 27-year-old Swede is currently ranked 74th in the world after reaching a career-high ranking of four in 1997, the year he won the rain-soaked Auckland tournament, defeating
Dane Kenneth Carlsen.
He joins a strong lineup for the tournament, which includes defending champion Sjeng Schalken (46th), 1994 winner Magnus Gustafsson (60th) and 1996 champion Jiri Novak (42).
The tournament will also feature Goran Ivanisevic (62), Michael Chang (50), Tommy Haas (11), Magnus Norman (15) and 1992 Barcelona Olympic champion Marc Rosset (40).
Tournament director Graham Pearce said he did not know why Bjorkman had slipped back from his 1997 placing, but understood the Swede had been concentrating on doubles.
"But he is a former champion here, he has been a strong supporter of this tournament even though he hasn't been here for the past two championships."
New Zealand's Mark Nielsen has already been awarded the first wildcard. Pearce is now waiting to see what happens in three simultaneous tournaments in the first week of the new millennium.
"We'll have to wait and see over the last wild card, we never know who gets knocked out early in the three other tournaments and might request to come here."
James Shortall and James Greenhalgh, who will team up with Bjorkman for the doubles at Auckland, are the leading New Zealand contenders.
Bjorkman is currently ranked third in the doubles but with his regular partner, US Open singles champion Pat Rafter still recovering from a shoulder injury, Greenhalgh has an opportunity to improve his doubles rankings. - NZPA
