Tennis: Sowing seeds of greatness

By TERRY MADDAFORD

A skinny 17-year-old kid was hitting-up on a back court at Stanley St.

No one was taking much notice, although somebody was moved to say: "That boy, one day, will be the best tennis player in the world."

Brave words, but how true.

And the youngster? Bjorn Borg.

Within days, moving rapidly from the back courts to centre-stage, Borg had beaten New Zealand star Onny Parun in straight sets in the final.

It was his first big success on the international circuit. Later that year, he won the first of six French Open titles.

Borg's 1973-74 triumph was sandwiched between Parun's first and second triumphs in this country's showpiece tournament.

In 1975-76 Parun scored a third victory - a record bettered only by Australian great Roy Emerson, who won four times between 1959-60 and 1966-67.

In many ways, there are similarities between the tournament's formative years and early New Zealand Grand Prix events at Ardmore.

Both sports were able, in the days before professionalism and big dollars, to attract the very best.

The Auckland tennis tournament, now the Heineken Open at the ASB Tennis Centre, was won for the first time by American Bob Perry.

Ashley Cooper won the following year to start an early domination by Australian players, interrupted in the first 14 years only by South African Trevor Fancutt and, in 1958-59, New Zealand's Jeff Robson.

For the following 10 years the Australians made the tournament their own.

Emerson won for the first time in 1959-60, but had to wait five years for his second title as Rod Laver, Ken Fletcher and Fred Stolle (twice) took the spoils across the Tasman.

Between 1964 and 1966 Emerson took out the only hat-trick of successive victories. Parun, with his third and fourth titles back-to-back in the mid-1970s was the only other player to successfully defend.

With their victories, Barry Phillips-Moore, Tony Roche and later Ray Ruffels continued the Australian stranglehold on the event, which landed them 12 of the first 17 Opens.

How times have changed.

Since Ruffels' 1971-72 success, the pickings for Australians have been lean. Bill Scanlon, John Alexander and Mark Woodforde won in the 80s, but there have been none since.

The early years, on grass, were largely the domain of New Zealanders and Australians. The last three decades have taken a broader international look.

From Briton Roger Taylor, who won in 1969-70, to Canadian-born Englishman Greg Rusedski last year, players from 17 countries have won in Auckland.

Frenchman Bob Carmichael's 1970-71 victory was the first, and only, for his country.

Borg won first for Sweden, followed 20 years later by Magnus Gustafsson and then Thomas Enqvist, Jonas Bjorkman (three wins in four years for the Swedes) and, in 2000, Magnus Norman.

No other country has enjoyed such a love affair with Auckland in recent times.

Apart from Parun and Robson, Chris Lewis, 18 months after his Wimbledon final against John McEnroe, is the only other home-grown victor, although Brett Steven went close in 1996, losing in the final to this year's top seed Jiri Novak, of Czechoslovakia.

Two years later Steven did have some deserved glory when he and American Pat Galbraith won the doubles.

While the big bucks lure the best Australians and Americans elsewhere, many other top players use Auckland as an early stop for the new season.

Most have played well here, including Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Chang and Tommy Haas.

Others such as Marcel Rios, Sjeng Schalken and Alexander Volkov have won.

All have played their part in adding to what has become a showpiece of New Zealand sport and one which continues to blossom.

Hopefully one day another New Zealander will carve his name on the honour's board.