Pressure on star attraction Serena
Will Kiwi tennis fans - and tournament organisers - get their money’s worth out of Serena Williams next year?
The biggest drawcard the ASB Classic has attracted will garner massive interest, and tournament director Karl Budge may spend the next three months hoping one of the game’s greatest players justifies his investment - likely to be upwards of $200,000
In past years, the tournament has received generally strong returns from its marquee attractions - considering it’s the first tournament of the new season for almost all big names.
Maria Sharapova’s appearance in 2011 was huge news, but the Russian superstar didn’t match her profile with her on-court exploits, losing to Greta Arn - the eventual champion - in the quarterfinal.
But Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki has been good value twice in the past two years, while number one seeds (which Williams is bound to be) like Agnieszka Radwanska (2013), Flavia Pennetta (2010), Elena Dementieva (2009) and Jelena Jankovic (2007) all lived up to top billing by capturing the title. Lindsay Davenport starred in 2008 with a tournament win, Ana Ivanovic was great in 2014 (winner) and poor this year (first round exit as second seed).
Serena’s older sister Venus has proved to be a real mixed bag. She was set to star in 2012 but pulled out of the tournament prior to it starting due to health issues; made
amends in 2015 with victory but bowed out in the first round earlier this year as top seed.
The Classic has suffered a few times from big names withdrawing early - Mary Pierce did so in 2005 for ‘medical reasons’ and Vera Zvonareva pulled out with a shoulder injury in 2013.
So firstly Williams, who has
had knee and shoulder injuries this year, has to turn up.
If she gets here, how will the 35-year-old fare on court?
With the Australian Open starting in Melbourne nine days after the final in Auckland, results won’t be Williams’ biggest priority, although it’s expected she’ll want some testing matchplay to prepare herself for a Grand Slam event she has won six times. Williams has previously played warmup events in Australia, at either the Hopman Cup teams tournament in Perth or WTA events in Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart over the past 10 years - with mixed results.
She withdrew early from the Hopman Cup this year with a knee complaint, then made the final of the Australian Open but was upset by Germany’s Angelique Kerber. In 2015, Williams lost the Hopman Cup final when teamed with John Isner for the US, but won her sixth Australian Open crown soon after. In the two years prior, Williams won the Brisbane WTA event in 2014 and 2013 in style, but neither led to much success at the first Slam of the year - she lost in the round of 16 in Melbourne in 2014 and in the quarterfinal the previous year.
In 2012, Williams withdrew from the Brisbane event before a scheduled quarterfinal against Daniela Hantuchova and then bowed out in the round of 16 at the Australian Open. When she played in Sydney in 2010 and 2009, Williams was runner-up and beaten semifinalist respectively, and won the Australian Open each time.
So will the success of the 2017 Classic in Auckland hinge on how Williams fares? Not necessarily.
An early exit would undeniably disappoint fans who will have forked out for tickets - particularly for the latter stages of the tournament. But Budge has probably already done enough to ensure that sponsorship dollars and ticket sales will ensure a profitable, high-profile event.