Williams’ Classic request
Venus Williams could make her last appearance at the ASB Classic on New Year’s Day.
Stuff understands that the former world No 1 will be playing on Tuesday at the Classic along with defending champion Julia Goerges, while Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki and Eugenie Bouchard are all expected to play on Monday.
Tournament director Karl Budge wouldn’t confirm that Williams would play on Tuesday, but acknowledged that her camp had asked for that.
‘‘We’ve had a request from her team to have a Tuesday start,’’ Budge said.
‘‘Obviously, until the draw is out we can’t confirm that, but we will try to work in with Venus’ team wherever we can.
‘‘With the amount of talent we’ve got available, if we are able to play Venus on a Tuesday, maybe she’s paired up with someone like our defending champion Julia Goerges, while the Monday might feature Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka on centre court.’’
At 38, this could well be Williams’ last appearance at the Classic and while it might be nice to see her go all the way in the tournament again, the only way to guarantee seeing her is by watching her first round match.
‘‘We don’t know how much longer Venus is going to play for,’’ Budge said.
‘‘She’s been a wonderful player, but we want to honour her and she’s been considered as Queen V for a long time in Auckland.’’
In 2014 Williams lost to Ana Ivanovic in a thrilling final and the next year beat Wozniacki for the title in an equally gripping final.
In her last two appearances she was defeated by rising stars of the women’s game, Daria Kasatkina and Naomi Osaka.
‘‘We’ve got a very special relationship with Venus and I’m not sure there’s an athlete I respect more than her,’’ Budge said
‘‘What she’s done off the court is so incredibly impressive, her on court record is amazing too.’’
As the first two days of the upcoming tournament are played on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, there’s a change to the norm, with just twilight sessions on these days, starting at 3pm, rather than separate day and night session.
In previous years it was something of a lottery on which sessions to buy tickets for to see the big name players.
But there won’t that problem this time as Azarenka, Bouchard and Wozniacki all look likely to play on Monday, unless they’re drawn against a qualifier.
‘‘We’ll have three matches each day, that’s why with our five headline players, we’ll split them across centre court across the two days and I think they’ll be the best sessions I’ve put on at the ASB Classic.
‘‘They’ll start at 3pm, it gives you the opportunity to go out and enjoy the morning, have some lunch and then come down to the ASB Classic, where we’ll have a schedule that will finish about 9pm. ‘‘You can then get out and enjoy your New Year’s Eve plans. Or if you’ve enjoyed your New Year, you’re able to have a lie in, have a fried breakfast and come down for an afternoon session again.’’
Meanwhile, Finn Tearney has decided to take the qualifying wildcard for the men’s Classic.
Tearney won the right to have it by winning the New Zealand Championships last weekend.
He’s no longer a professional player and said after claiming the title that he would let someone else have the wildcard.
However, after mulling it over, Tearney has decided he wants the wildcard and it means either Ajeet Rai or Rubin Statham will take the last available one.
It was hoped Statham would maybe be able to make it into qualifying through his ranking, however he has missed the cut.
Rai and Statham could have guaranteed themselves a qualifying wildcard if they entered the NZ Champs and won it, but neither player chose to play in the tournament.