Rising tennis star GD Jones is hoping next week's Open will provide him with some sort of sign as he contemplates the move into professionalism.
Jones, 19, has just completed his first year at the University of Illinois and is back home for the Heineken-sponsored Open, where he has secured
a place in the main draw for the first time.
After a reasonably successful 12 months in which he secured several singles titles and made it through to the third round of junior Wimbledon, Jones is committed to the university until May - but after that his journey comes to a crossroad.
Now ineligible to compete in junior tournaments, he could go back to university for another year, compete in the highly competitive college competition and play in lower-level professional tournaments. Or he could go all the way and launch himself onto the professional circuit.
Jones is unsure which path he will take but hopes the Open will help him to decide.
"I anticipate I might get some sort of feel for it playing next week," he said.
One of New Zealand's most promising players, Jones was lured to the prestigious Illinois campus by the then associate head tennis coach, Bruce Berque, who spotted him at the International Tennis Federation Orange Bowl in Miami in 2002.
"He caught my eye because I just saw this kid fighting his butt off," Berque said at the time. "That was what really attracted me to him - how hard he competed and how much he loved to play."
Illinois doesn't just recruit anyone. No more than 12 players are selected each year to work under coaches Craig Tiley and Brad Dancer.
Jones, who picked up a racket at age 4, has not let them down. Last year he posted 22 wins in 27 singles matches and 19 wins in 20 doubles games. Illinois finished second in the league behind Baylor University.
"I have enjoyed it immensely," Jones said. "It has been a great experience living in a new country and meeting a lot of people, as well as the tennis experience.
"I felt that I wasn't ready to hit the professional tour right away. I felt that a year or just over a year in the States would be the best decision as far as developing at the quickest rate.
"We have two very good coaches in Craig Tiley and Brad Dancer. Craig has worked with a number of professional players on and off and coached the South African Davis Cup for three or four years in the mid to late 1990s.
"Brad coached on the WTA tour. He coached Martina Navratilova for a short time."
Jones said his game had not changed much in the States but had evolved.
"It is really a development process that I am undertaking."
Just how much his game has evolved will become evident in next week's Open, which has attracted an impressive field.
"Everyone in the field is in the top 50 or 60 in the world so obviously they are all amazing players."
Realistically it will be a big ask for Jones to advance further than the first round but he is determined to "show what I am capable of ".
"The only pressure I have ever had is the pressure I put on myself.
"It will great playing at home. It is so nice to have crowd support behind you because everywhere else in the world you go you don't."
While in Auckland, Jones will be under the watchful eye of Chris Lewis.
"He is fantastic. It is amazing to have guidance from someone who has been there and done it and has so much passion and intensity for it," said Jones.
"There is no great depth of talent in New Zealand - no one would kid themselves about that - but there is lot of passion for tennis in New Zealand and I think there is a lot of potential for tennis to become as popular as it was in the '80s when we had some players who were doing really well."
Should it go well in Auckland, maybe Jones could be the one who sparks that revival.
The last 10 singles and doubles champions:
1995: Thomas Enqvist (Sweden); Grant Connell (Canada)/Pat Galbraith (US)
1996: Jiri Novak (Czech Republic); Jack Waite (US)/Marcus Ondruska (South Africa)
1997: Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden); Galbraith/Ellis Ferreira (South Africa)
1998: Marcelo Rios (Chile); Brett Steven (NZ)/Galbraith
1999: Sjeng Schalken (Netherlands); Jeff Tarango (US)/Daniel Vacek (Czech Republic)
2000: Magnus Norman (Sweden); Ferreira/Rick Leach (US)
2001: Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia); Jim Thomas (US)/Marius Barnard (South Africa)
2002: Greg Rusedski (Britain); Bjorkman/Todd Woodbridge (Australia)
2003: Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil); David Adams/Robbie Koenig (South Africa)
2004: Hrbaty; Mahesh Bhupathi (India)/Fabrice Santoro (France)
GD Jones
Born: Auckland, January 4, 1986
Height: 1.80m
Weight: 76kg
Career highlights, 2003/04:
University of Illinois team No 1
Singles winner NZ 18-and-under Indoor Championships
Singles winner Darwin International
Singles winner Oceania Closed Junior Championships
Singles finalist Pauls Northern Territory International
Doubles finalist Canadian Open Junior Championships
Member NZ Davis Cup team
Competed in the Junior Wimbledon, US Open and French Open. Made it to the third round at Wimbledon.
Mario Ancic (Croatia)
Age: 21.
Ranking: 29.
Seeding: 7.
Why: Announced himself by pounding into the semifinals at Wimbledon last year before losing to American Andy Roddick. The 1.95m Ancic was in Auckland last year as a qualifier, reaching the last 16. Three years ago he became the first teenager to win his Wimbledon debut on centre court since the great Bjorn Borg.
Prospects: Yet to win an ATP singles title but must be in with a shout.
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Age: 18
Ranking: 46
Seeding: Unseeded
Why: Among the game's most gifted teenagers, his win over Roddick helped set up Spain's Davis Cup final triumph over the US in Seville in December. Made the final here last year, losing to Dominik Hrbaty but a thrilling shotmaker, combining the precocity of youth with real power.
Prospects: If he gets on a roll will be hard to stop.
James Blake (US)
Age: 25
Ranking: 76
Seeding: Unseeded
Why: A flamboyant player who has been bedevilled by injury. A Davis and Hopman Cup representative, model, and pretty decent tennis player as well, Blake has one WTA singles title to his name and is on the road back. A career-high singles ranking of 22 shows his capabilities and he'll certainly bring a cool dude element to the Open.
Prospects: Might not win, but well worth a look.
Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain)
Age: 24.
Ranking: 31.
Seeding: 8.
Why: On the comeback from injury, but still the stellar turn at the Open. Was world No 1 15 months ago. He has won 11 singles crowns, including the French Open of 2003 and has reached 11 other finals. A whippy strokemaker from the baseline. Has won over US$9.5 million ($13.6 million). Genuine star of the game.
Prospects: Will do well to win here, given his layoff, but sure to have plenty of support.
The prize money
Total: US$404,000
Singles winner: US$55,000 and 175 points
Runnerup: US$30,600 and 120 points
Semifinalist: US$18,000 and 75 points
Quarter-finalist: US$10,600 and 40 points
Round 16 loser: US$6225 and 15 points
Round 32 loser: US$3650 and 5 points
Doubles winners: US$16,500
Runnersup: US$9700
Semifinalists: US$5670
Quarter-finalists: US$3400
Round 16 loser: US$2000
The seeds
1 Guillermo Coria (Argentina) world No 7
2 Tommy Robredo (Spain) No 13
3 Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) No 14
4 Vince Spadea (US) No 19
5 Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) No 22
6 Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) No 26
7 Mario Ancic (Croatia) No 29
8 Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) No 31
Tennis: Teenage star seeks a sign
GD Jones says that 'there is no great depth for talent in New Zealand' but that 'there is a lot of passion' at the same time. Picture / Derek Flynn
Rising tennis star GD Jones is hoping next week's Open will provide him with some sort of sign as he contemplates the move into professionalism.
Jones, 19, has just completed his first year at the University of Illinois and is back home for the Heineken-sponsored Open, where he has secured
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