Tennis: Classic chief waits for stars to come out

What are the chances of a superstar gracing the Auckland international women's event in January?

It's a question high on tournament director Richard Palmer's most-frequently asked list.

Grand Slam winners Lindsay Davenport and Serena and Venus Williams are no longer in the world's top 10. But the chances of their belting balls at the ASB Classic remain remote.

American Davenport is No 12 in the WTA rankings, Venus Williams is No 44 and little sister Serena is No 93.

The three players have won 15 Grand Slam titles between them, but their best days seem behind them.

Davenport is 30 and has made it known that she's looking to move on in life.

Venus Williams is well into a second career in fashion, and has played only five events this year - none since Wimbledon in July.

Serena Williams, whose 26th and last title was the Australian Open at the start of last year, has been plagued by knee injuries, has played only four events this year, and at one point was ranked No 139.

But Palmer's attitude is "you'd be silly to be the person who didn't ask".

So he and Auckland Tennis boss Graham Pearce were at the US Open to put the feelers out to coaches, agents, managers and players for January's double header of ASB Classic and Heineken Open.

Last year, the Classic, a tier four event with US$145,000 prizemoney, attracted Russian Nadia Petrova. It was only the second time a top 10 player had appeared in Auckland.

This year, a rule change means no one in the top 10 can contest a tier four event.

But there's a catch. On October 1, the WTA announces its 10 gold exempt players, which might include one or two outside the top 10-ranked players.

One of the key elements of the exempt list is marketability.

So Davenport or a Williams or two might be included at the expense of a less marketable player who was in the top 10 on results.

This could work to Auckland's advantage if it contracted a player, such as world No 13 Anastasia Myskina, who then ends the year with a surge of form, climbed into the top 10 but was outside the gold exempt group.

Palmer is confident the Classic, which is well regarded on the women's circuit because of its organisation and as a good place to start the year, will attract at least two players inside the top 20.

"We're not going to get anyone in the top six regardless of any rule, but there's lots of good players from No 11 down," he said.

That group includes Myskina, whose 10 WTA singles titles include the 2004 French Open.

Serb Ana Ivanovic, an 18-year-old who won the US$1.3 million Montreal Open title in August is No 15; fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic, a semifinalist at the US Open and quarter-finalist in Auckland last year, is No 17; and last year's beaten semifinalist at Auckland, Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, who made the last 16 at this year's Australian, French and Wimbledon championships is No 19.

The Classic clashes with the Hopman Cup teams event in Perth, for which nine top women will be involved, a Hong Kong exhibition event, featuring eight leading players and the Gold Coast tier three tournament, which is allowed one top 10 player or three in the 11-25 bracket.

This year's winner, Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli is ranked No 26, and might be back, although players are not obliged to return the following year to defend a title.

Palmer has had positive noises from several prominent players, notably Jankovic, Hantuchova and promising No 25 Russian teenager Maria Kirilenko, a quarter-finalist in Auckland this year.

He has three wildcards for the 32-player draw, one more than this year.

Palmer has a long list of possibles for the Classic.

From October 1, he will start putting lines through names as they move beyond his reach, and the final field will be revealed about mid-November.

The Classic starts on New Year's Day, and the men's event starts on January 8.