ASB Classic faces uncertain future as managed isolation issues stifle signings
For the first time in many years, there won’t be anyone at the French Open signing up players to play in the Auckland tournaments, writes David Long.
Usually around now Karl Budge is in France locking in players for the following year’s ASB Classic.
But this time there will be no one from Tennis Auckland at Roland Garros and the organisation is currently without a CEO, a tournament director for the Classic, and without any lockedin plans for what next year’s events will look like.
The border restrictions for people coming into New Zealand may be working well at keeping coronavirus out, but for the second year in a row it is making it tough to put on the ASB Classic.
Until there is some certainty in New Zealand, doubt remains about when next year’s WTA and ATP tournaments will take place.
A new Tennis Auckland CEO to replace Marcus Reynolds, who left last October, is expected to be named soon and after that Tennis Auckland chairman Simon Vannini said it will look at sorting out an ASB Classic tournament director for 2021.
‘‘We haven’t progressed any further with a tournament director at this stage,’’ Vannini said.
‘‘We’ve got a planning subcommittee together between Tennis Auckland and Tennis NZ, to which Karl is providing some input into, in particular around getting players into the country and the MIQ requirements.
‘‘Tennis NZ are working with Sport NZ on that, working with the government, trying to go through what the options are and what other sports are doing.
‘‘We’re expecting to get some certainty on that within the next month or so, which will lead into what the tournaments will look like.
‘‘But we’re very focused on running the tournaments in the usual weeks, in the usual form.
‘‘That’s still our target and what that means in practice is that until we know what the tournaments are going to look like, we’re not going to be in a position to appoint a tournament director.
‘‘But it’s likely we’ll look to appoint someone on a one-off basis for next year and then look for a longer-term appointment, following this tournament and see what the future of the tournaments look like, and bring in someone with new energy and ideas.’’
One of the biggest hurdles is getting the players and their entourages into New Zealand.
It seems certain that everyone will have to spend two weeks in a managed isolation facility on arrival. The cost for a person with a temporary entry class visa is $5250, so it would be over $1 million to bring everyone in for the Classic, a bill too big for Tennis Auckland to pick up.
‘‘One of the things we’re working through at the moment is the extent of those costs and how we might look to offset those, either through contributions from government, key sponsors, or an arrangement with Tennis Australia,’’ Vannini said.
‘‘We have been talking with Tennis Australia around their tournament planning, they’re looking to run their tournaments back in their usual weeks, so weeks three and four, after our weeks one and two tournaments.
‘‘On the basis that the bubble was still open, people would be able to go straight across to Melbourne and start playing.
‘‘We’re in the early stages of those conversations, but the costs of undertaking full quarantine is going to be quite significant for us, if that’s the road we have to go down.’’
But players may be worried about coming to New Zealand for the Classic, then risk not being able to get into Melbourne for the Australian Open, if there was
another pause to the transTasman travel bubble and it’s difficult to know how those concerns could be eased.
However, until the picture becomes clearer about what January’s tournaments look like, Vannini says there’s little point right now in talking to players.
‘‘My target is that by the end of June we want to have a pretty clear picture, so we can go out and talk to players and agents.’’
Meanwhile, Vannini was planning on standing down as chairman later this year, but has been encouraged to stay on.
‘‘My term runs out in October and I had intended to step down.
‘‘But it’s clear that some key sponsors and others have said they’d like me to stay on for a period . . . it is my intention now, subject to the board and subcommittee agreeing, for me to stay on for at least a couple of years, to provide some continuity.