Bouchard and Tomic seek ticket for Australian Open
Qualifying for next month’s Australian Open will occur almost 12,000km from Melbourne Park with hopefuls including Bernard Tomic and Eugenie Bouchard in action in Doha and Dubai
The first step of the bold gamble to complete the 2021 Australian Open in the midst of a global pandemic will begin later on Sunday almost 12,000 kilometres away from Melbourne.
The qualifying event for the Australian Open, which features fallen stars, hardened professionals and emerging talents, has been relocated to the Middle East.
The decision was made to enable those on the fringe of the main tours an opportunity to earn a main draw spot while also reducing the number of players heading to Australia per COVID-19 requirements.
Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard and Bernard Tomic, once the great hope of Australian tennis, are among the 256 hopefuls competing in Doha and Dubai.
The 16 men and women who are unbeaten after three rounds will have the chance to earn fame and fortune — or at the very least $100,000 for an opening round appearance — in the Australian Open beginning on February 8.
They will join the cohort of main draw competitors flying to Australia from several locations around the world on Friday and Saturday.
From there, they will serve a fortnight of quarantine in either Melbourne or Adelaide, depending largely on rankings, where they will be allowed a daily five-hour window to train.
The cost of the exercise will exceed $40 million, with Tennis Australia exhausting cash reserves but receiving some government assistance.
In regular times, the qualifying tournament for a grand slam is one of the best value experiences in sport.
There is none cheaper, for the cost to wander into Melbourne Park the week prior to the Australian Open is nothing. And the tennis played is world class, despite the paucity of big names.
An eagle-eyed fan attending the 1999 qualifying event would have noted a Swiss teenager named Roger Federer, who was beaten in the opening round by Olivier Delaitre, had talent.
But could they have guessed Federer, who is missing his first Australian Open since 1999 due to injury, would become an all-time great and six-time winner in Melbourne?
Tomic headlines the 12 Australian men attempting to qualify over the next four days.
The eight local women range from 16-year-old South Australian Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz to Storm Sanders, 26, who faces top-seed Kaja Juvan.
Eight Aussie women will contest #AusOpen qualifying this week.
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 10, 2021
This includes three promising players making their Grand Slam-level debuts #GoAussieshttps://t.co/CEBBiszjXM
Tomic, 28, is the second most accomplished combatant in action in men’s qualifying behind veteran Spaniard Tommy Robredo.
The competitive flame still flickers for the Spaniard, a three-time Davis Cup winning player who is a seven-time grand slam quarter-finalist and former world No 5.
But the player who appeals as the most likely to join the ranks of Federer as a grand slam winner of the future is another Spaniard in 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. There is a 21 year age gap between he and Robredo.
Coached by former world No 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz won three ATP Challenger titles in the second half of 2020 and is clearly a talent to watch in coming years.
Bouchard, who plays Australian wildcard Abbie Myers, and Italian Sara Errani have both reached the final of grand slam events but are now in the rankings wilderness.
It is seven years since the Canadian was considered the brightest young talent in tennis.
In a stellar 2014, she reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and at Roland Garros before her run to the Wimbledon decider.
Tomic’s slide down the rankings has been greatly dissected in Australia but is not surprising given his propensity for controversy, nightclubs and injury.
Bouchard’s is more surprising. From a peak ranking of five in 2014, she has spent much of the past three years sitting outside the top 100, devoid of confidence and consistency.
Similarly to the Gold Coast native, who claimed his most recent title in Chengdu two years ago, the Canadian has shown flashes of form and did reach a final late last year.
Tomic most recently appeared on court in a UTR Pro Series tournament in Brisbane, where he withdrew from a final with a back injury while warming up for the match.
The 28-year-old plays Slovakian Jozef Kovalik, who shares his age and is seeded for the qualifying event. Despite this, there is a significant gulf in their achievements.
A four-time ATP Tour winner, Tomic has won 40 of the 76 grand slam matches he has played, including a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Kovalik is yet to win a match in nine main draw attempts.
Of the other Australians in action, Davis Cup stalwart Matt Ebden faces compatriot Jason Kubler, a talent whose career has been interrupted by injury.
ICYMI, take a look at who our Aussie players will face in the opening round of #AusOpen qualifying ⬇ï¸#GoAussies https://t.co/iPyBbYlmc2
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 9, 2021
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