Time to jump on the Routliffe bandwagon
If you haven’t already jumped on the Erin Routliffe bandwagon, then maybe it’s about time. New Zealand’s premier women’s tennis player has recently reached a career-high No 5 in the world on the WTA doubles rankings, and the way she is tracking, there is a lot to suggest Routliffe is capable of making it all the way to the top.
When was the last time we had a New Zealand tennis player ranked as the No 1 player in the world you wonder?
Well, I have often thought the same, and my research tells me we would need to go back about 110 years to find the last New Zealander ranked in the top position in the world for either singles or doubles.
That would be four-time Wimbledon champion, Anthony Wilding.
Widely regarded as the world’s best tennis player in the early 1900s, Wilding had also secured both Davis Cup victories as a part of an Australasian team and a singles bronze medal at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.
Since Wilding, there have been several famous international tennis achievements by New Zealand players, with a scattering of singles Grand Slam finals appearances and a handful of doubles Grand Slam titles won, but we have not had another No 1 world-ranked player.
Routliffe, from relative obscurity, has become our greatest prospect since Wilding, and at the rate of her performances over the past 18 months, it appears a No 1 ranking has become a real possibility.
I have found Routliffe to be a truly intriguing story.
Born in New Zealand, Routliffe grew up learning her craft in Canada, before switching her allegiance back to New Zealand in June 2017.
Funnily enough it normally goes the other way, with many young players over the years growing up and playing their tennis in New Zealand, while switching to a parent’s country of birth for the reasons of assisting their professional tennis development.
Most well known is Great Britain’s No 1-ranked player, Cameron Norrie.
Born in South Africa before moving to Auckland, New Zealand at age 3, Norrie spent his junior years playing for New Zealand, reaching a high of No 10 junior player in the world, before switching allegiance to Great Britain at age 17, potentially due to greater access to funding and resources.
Norrie has reached a career high ATP singles ranking of No 8 in 2022.
To see someone take the opposite route has been something of a revelation and I can’t help but be incredibly excited about what this could mean to New Zealand tennis.
Having someone on an international stage for New Zealand junior tennis players to look up to is such an important part of the inspiration picture for these budding players.
It’s actually something special for us adults also who take immense pride in our country and it’s sporting representatives and achievements.
Routliffe, who won the 2023 US Open doubles title, has recently made her first WTA 1000 final with regular doubles partner, Canadian Gabby Dabrowski, at the Miami Open.
I will be following her with heightened anticipation.
In local tennis news, we had three Manawatū junior tennis players achieving great results recently. Teenagers Jonty Giesen, Ayla Giesen and Lara Power all reached the premier senior regional finals in Wellington a couple of weeks ago.
Power’s team Thorndon finished runner-up, with Power the only winning player, while the Giesen siblings both won regional titles for their clubs Thorndon and Avalon.
All three players are now ranked in the top 80 male and female senior players in New Zealand, a major accomplishment and testament to the countless hours of travel and training they have committed to their continual improvement.
Jono Spring is a former professional tennis coach.