Steve Deane: Men's rankings run deep, but just not our own

Tobias Kamke in action against Spain's David Ferrer in the Heineken Open. Photo / Paul Estcourt

There's no easy remedy for New Zealand's tennis woes despite all the theories that abound

In a country where many of our sports stars have brown faces, tennis's racial breakdown borders on Wimbledon's attire rule - all white. A couple of names from this year's Heineken Open to keep an eye on - and they're not Rubin Statham and Dan King-Turner.

Sadly, the days of New Zealand having a reputable touring pro appear no closer, if the evidence of the 2011 Auckland event is anything to go by.

Given the state of the game here, New Zealand would probably settle for, say, a player of the calibre of 32-year-old journeyman Michael Russell, the American who battled through qualifying and pushed seventh seed Thomaz Bellucci to three sets before shuffling off to the airport.

What would we give, then, for a prospect like Adrian Mannarino or Tobias Kamke?

Mannarino, a 22-year-old Frenchman ranked 83 in the world, had to negotiate three rounds of qualifying before facing fifth seed Juan Monaco in the first round proper. Monaco has been a fixture in the top 30 for years, he's been deep into grand slams and knows Auckland's centre court well. Mannarino thrashed him, and then took out last year's beaten finalist Arnaud Clement in the next round for good measure.

At No 67, Kamke, a 24-year-old German, was the last player granted direct acceptance into the tournament. He only enjoyed that luxury because Juan Carlos Ferrero pulled out. Kamke didn't fluff his chance, belting qualifier Pere Riba in straight sets and then dominating top seed David Ferrer for a set and a half before going out kicking and screaming in three tough sets.

Less than a year ago, Kamke and Mannirino were both outside of the top 200. Last year they battled mainly on the second tier Challenger circuit. Now they look destined for the big time.

"It is always tough to say but he has big potential so I think he can do great things in future," was Clement's assessment of Mannarino. The French veteran would know. He shares a coach with the youngster, practises with him and acts as his mentor on tour.

Mannarino is a slightly-built lefty with a big kick-serve and solid groundstrokes. Kamke is heavier and hits a heavier ball from the right side. Fearlessness, particularly on the big points, and self-belief are the main characteristics they appear to share.

Ferrer found that out first hand when Kamke tattooed the lines with relentless power to all but overrun one of the game's great runners. The quality of players such as Kamke shows just how tough and deep the men's game has become, Ferrer said.

"The top five are at another level - Murray, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and now Soderling, it is difficult to get past them. But tennis now is level. On Wednesday I played with a guy who was 70 [Kamke] and I needed to fight a lot."

After six tough matches, Mannarino ran out of steam. He pushed world No15 Nicolas Almagro to three sets in his quarter-final but couldn't maintain his level after two tough tiebreak sets. It's doubtful, however, that he will be wasting his energies in qualifiers much longer. The same can't be said for a clutch of Kiwi hopefuls such as Statham, King-Turner and Michael Venus.

Theories abound as to what can be done to get one of the players to the next level: Find some money and base them in Europe or the United States; skip the junior tours and send them to try to qualify at ATP events (they may fail but at least they can play with the big boys); brain replacement surgery (okay, that's mine).

None of those would seem to address the painful truth - that our players simply lack talent. The pool from which they are plucked doesn't exactly appear to be overflowing.

Again there are theories. For starters, entry isn't free. Top juniors in this country largely have to pay their own way. If mummy and daddy don't have the cash, there ain't no splash.

And in a country where many of our sports stars have brown faces, tennis's racial breakdown borders on Wimbledon's attire rule - all white.

That might be over-stating it, but a colleague who sends his children to coaching clinics at a central Auckland club estimates that, of about 250 kids, 220 are of European descent, around 30 are Asian and a second hand isn't required to count the numbers of Maori and Pacific Islanders.

Best not to expect our next tennis star to come bursting out of South Auckland any time soon.

The reality is that there is no easy remedy for this country's tennis woes.

While the likes of Mannarino and Kamke make the step up to ATP level appear a mere bump on the road to greater things (the Auckland tournament is a bottom-tier event, after all), the best we can muster continue to make it look like Mt Everest. What's more, they've left the ice-axes and crampons at home and turned up in jandals and T-shirts. They aren't ready, and it will take more than a quick trip to Kathmandu to change that.