Scorching hot days in Melbourne and an influx of international tourists can only mean one thing: the tennis world is about to settle in our great city once more.
With so many tournaments and options open to the world’s best players, some face a dilemma that has the potential to setup their 2013.
Match practice or ranking points?
Risk being knocked out of the first round in Brisbane, Sydney or Hobart or guarantee yourself some much needed matches at a venue that is not only setup perfectly for acclimatisation yet set in one of Australia’s most recognisable and iconic sporting venues: Kooyong.
Ranking points are precious, especially early in the tournament. A great January can lay the foundation for a very successful year ahead. If you are currently ranked just outside the seedings the Australian tennis summer is a very important destination.
Gone are the days where you can catch a few of the bigger names off guard this early in the season with superior fitness.
It’s a double-edged sword though. Earn points early in the season and you will be under pressure this time next year to defend those points earned. A quarter final in Sydney not only guarantees some solid points, but a great lead up to the Australian Open.
So what’s the appeal of the Kooyong Classic to those elite eight who decide that Kooyong is the path for them? Some may give up defending their points for last year, but they gain valuable match practice in the unforgiving Melbourne summer heat.
The tournament directors have secured two big guns in Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin Del Potro. Both players have the potential to go long into the second week of the Australian Open and Kooyong is the perfect hit out.
Berdych and Del Potro will look to take advantage of the absence of Spaniard Rafa Nadal and secure a potential semi final birth. Local favourite Lleyton Hewitt is in the twilight of his career and a surprise run of form could see him win one final title on Australian soil.
Marcos Baghdatis will be again the crowd favourite and his matches will be keenly attended by locals.
Another upside of playing Kooyong is that in 2014 you won’t have any points to defend, if the 2013 calendar turns pear-shaped, you know you have the opportunity to get the 2014 season on the right foot.
The tennis calendar is a long gruelling eleven months of the year and with the talent deeper than ever before, only a fool would be silly enough to see any chance slip by you.
Whatever the decision of the player (or their entourage), both options present great opportunities to all involved to be best prepared for the first grand slam of 2013.
Twitter: @thehardsword
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