Tennis Australia’s Wally Masur explains why Australian players face challenging years abroad

If Australia’s stars thought life has been tough to start the year, they are in for a brutal reality check as they pack their bags for the tennis season.

It is set to be a tough 2021 for the likes of Aussie stars Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios. Picture: Michael Klein

A dreaded reality is about to hit Australia’s tennis players, who are enjoying a honeymoon period in their season with a grand slam in their backyard.

Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown, for at least five days, was not only a reminder of the seriousness of the global pandemic, but also what they all face once they head overseas.

Tennis Australia’s director of performance, former world No.15 Wally Masur, isn’t shying away from the challenges ahead.

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Wally Masur says Australia’s tennis stars will face a tough 2021. Picture: AAP

“The reality for any Australian player come March is they’re going to have to get on a plane and go to high-risk areas and chase limited events with strong cut-offs,” Masur told the Herald Sun.

“It’s probably the worst time since I’ve been involved in the game to be a transitioning player.

“That’s from any perspective, but certainly from an Australian perspective, because we’re not holding any of those stepping stone events, the Futures and Challengers.”

Twelve Australians advanced to the second round of the Australian Open this week, but only Thanasi Kokkinakis and Bernard Tomic are ranked beyond 200 of that group.

Most of them will be able to find somewhere to play most weeks, although still with those same risks Masur references.

Leading Perth-based player agent Sam Maxwell, of Emageo Group, said some players, especially those ranked beyond 250, would have to weigh up if it was even worth travelling.

“They want to play for the tennis side and their ranking, but if it’s not financially viable and they have these other quarantine issues, it just gets to a point, ‘Is it actually worth going?’,” Maxwell said.

“If you look at all the Aussies, everyone is at a different stage of life – age, partners, kids – and it all comes into consideration.”

What’s next for Sam Stosur? Picture: Getty Images

WHAT ARE AUSTRALIA’S TENNIS STARS PLANNING?

Nick Kyrgios and Sam Stosur say their upcoming schedule is uncertain and yet to be mapped out, while Tomic admitted once he leaves Australia he “won’t be coming back anytime soon”.

That owes to the fact returning Australians will have to serve a two-week quarantine and, as John Millman pointed out, they would want to stay for a further fortnight at least to make it worthwhile.

The problem? Most players can’t justify taking a month off mid-season, so will bounce from quarantine situations to ‘bubbles’ in various countries throughout the year to play tournaments.

“I’m of the opinion it’s going to be one of the most challenging years for an Australian tennis player that we’ve ever seen on the tour,” Millman told the Herald Sun.

John Millman says he and other Aussies will have big decisions to make in 2021. Picture: AFP

“I had a taste for it in the last four months of last year on tour and I know it’s challenging.”

Kokkinakis has a career-best ranking of 69, but repeated injuries mean he’s slipped to No.267, which will rise by about 30 places with his first-round win at the Open.

He will likely have to play at least some ATP Challenger events to get his ranking up, or risk qualifying for stronger ATP Tour tournaments for an extended period.

“It’s tricky. I’ve got a protected ranking (for limited events), but I’ve got to pick and choose when I want to use them,” Kokkinakis said.

“If anyone wants to give me a wildcard, thank you. But, no, I’ll just keep grinding away. If I have to keep playing quallies, I will do that.”

Australian Open wildcard Aleks Vukic, who won his maiden ATP Tour-level match last week, said working out his 2021 schedule included “where I can travel the safest and the easiest”.

Tennis stars like Ash Barty will have to jump through hoops. Picture: Michael Klein

WHAT’S INVOLVED IN TRAVELLING AS A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE?

The other side of this topic are the strict conditions required to leave Australia and hop between international countries.

Emageo Group’s Maxwell helped upwards of a dozen Australian tennis stars last year sort out their travel exemptions and visas.

Maxwell looks after Matthew Ebden, Andrew Harris, John Peers, Maddison Inglis, Storm Sanders and Astra Sharma, but also assisted the likes of Kokkinakis, Jordan Thompson, Millman and James Duckworth.

“First, they need to get an exemption to leave the country, because at the moment they can’t leave Australia without an exemption and they have to show it’s for work,” Maxwell said.

“Some players at the start of last year, particularly before the French Open, if it was not done properly, they had their visas knocked back initially.

“It’s a lot easier now, but then the tricky thing is visas into other countries, because it depends on where you’ve been and every country has different restrictions on that.

“It’s just another hurdle to overcome.”

These complications are why many Australian tennis players may settle for playing UTR Pro Tennis Series events at home instead.

There would typically be Futures and Challenger tournaments in Australia at both ends of the year, but border closures and quarantine requirements mean none are scheduled at this stage.

Tennis Australia entered into an arrangement with the UTR Pro Tennis Series last year. There is prizemoney up for grabs, but not ATP and WTA ranking points.

“I don’t have the exact figure, but upwards of $600,000 went into our domestic tennis scene,” Masur said.

“This year it’s a slightly altered version, but there will be a similar amount of money – if not more – going into the domestic scene.

“In the absence of the ATP and WTA events here in Australia, outside of this bubble we have in February, that may be the reality for a lot of Australian players.

“That may keep them playing and give them a source of income to get to that point where the world returns to some sort of normality, and the tennis tour, as a consequence, does the same.”

Originally published as Tennis Australia’s Wally Masur explains why Australian players face challenging years abroad