Auckland 'hopeful' del Potro will be back

BY MARC HINTON

Heineken Open tournament director Richard Palmer is hoping his defending champion is a superstitious sort. It might be the only way he gets world tennis' new superstar Juan Martin del Potro back to Auckland next January.

The 20-year-old Argentine today made the biggest breakthrough of his career when he outlasted Swiss ace Roger Federer in a five-set thriller in the final of the US Open at Flushing Meadow.

It was del Potro's first Grand Slam title, coming in his first appearance in a final, and suddenly catapults the South American into the very top bracket of international players.

The tall (1.98m) Argentine won Auckland's Heineken Open tournament back in January in his first appearance in New Zealand. He defeated American Sam Querrey in straight sets in a final that exhibited the big right-hander's enormous potential.

But his Grand Slam breakthrough now puts any chance of him defending his title in Auckland in major doubt, with his appearance fee demands set to skyrocket out of the New Zealand tournament's stratosphere.

However, Palmer is not without some hope, having spoken to the player earlier in the tournament in New York and received indications that the big-hitting Argentine was keen to return to the event that launched his spectacular 2009 season in such style.

Also, if Palmer knows tennis players - and he's been doing this job for long enough to have a fairly intimate knowledge - he realises that they can be a superstitious lot, which could be his joker in the pack in luring del Potro back.

Asked about the prospects of enticing del Potro back following his US Open success, Palmer told stuff.co.nz "unfortunately they've probably decreased".

He added: "The asking rate is already significant, but we were seriously looking at it because we wanted to get our defending champion and a top-10 player back again. But now he's gone as far as he has, I'd say the asking rate is going to increase by a lot."

Palmer is talking about the appearance fee routinely paid by tournaments to attract players in the world's top-20 or former Grand Slam champions - and in del Potro's case he's fairly certain that amount just went way beyond his event's furthest reach.

"He wants to come, and I spoke to him, his agent and his coach several times in New York last week," said Palmer. "His coach is very keen for him to come back. He wanted to sign on the dotted line then, but we just couldn't afford the amount they were after then.

"I expect that's going to increase significantly over the next few days."

Palmer admitted he was in a unique position, never before having had to negotiate with a defending champion who had just gone out and won his first Grand Slam singles title.

He believed it was the first time a winner of the Auckland tournament had gone on to claim a Grand Slam title, and to do so in the same year was a special achievement.

"My gut feeling is that unless we can come up with what they're after he won't come back. But you just never know," said the Aucklander.

Palmer is certainly not without hope, figuring two things could yet work in his favour.

The only alternatives to Auckland if del Potro wants to play a tournament the week before the Australian Open are Sydney's Medibank International and the invitation AAMI Classic in Kooyong.

"At this point I don't think Sydney will be able to pay the sort of money they're asking for and Kooyong has got a full field.

"If he's wanting to play a tournament before the Australian Open we're probably the only option."

And then there's the superstition side of the equation.

"You can get lucky with a superstitious player. They want to go back to where they've been successful. We have to hope he's like that. It's one of the things that could work in our favour.

"We'll be doing everything we can to make it happen," added Palmer. "One of the things we've got on our side is it did work for him this year, and we know his coach is keen for him to come back."

Palmer admitted even he was surprised by how quickly del Potro took the step up to knocking off a player of Federer's quality in a Grand Slam final.

"I thought he was young and was definitely going to improve. But whether he would win a Grand Slam? I probably didn't think it was on this soon. I'm a little bit surprised he's done it so quickly."

The Auckland tournament director now enters his busiest period nailing down his field. But it's fair to say he has a fairly clear No 1 priority.

 

 

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