KEY POINTS:
As all the big guns started rolling into town yesterday for the start of the Heineken Open, Dominik Hrbaty was nonplussed.
He had an early-morning hit on centre court with New Zealand No 1 and wildcard entry Dan King-Turner before returning later in the day for another session.
Given this is his ninth visit to Auckland, the 29-year-old Slovak is part of the furniture here and knows his way around as well as any steward. A Heineken Open tournament without him would be like a tournament without the Heineken.
He might be known as the Dominator but Mr Consistency would be a more appropriate moniker.
He's a two-time Heineken Open winner (in 2001 and 2004), a beaten finalist (in 2003) and has also been a feature of the world's top 25 for the past three years.
He also has the distinction of holding the record for consecutive Grand Slam appearances for active players, having contested 40 dating back to the 1997 Australian Open.
"It shows I am doing things the right way and keeping injury-free," Hrbaty said, despite the appearance of an ice-pack on an elbow injury.
"I know about the record and that [former top 10 player] Wayne Ferreira played about 56 [consecutive tournaments]. I want to play as long as I can because I love playing tennis, so it would be great to break the record."
Few would begrudge him it, which would likely take another five years.
There's a lot to like about the Slovakian, despite his questionable taste in clothes.
There was the dreadful bright pink shirt with holes he wore in 2005 for added ventilation (he gave assurances it wouldn't appear this year, preferring a purple number).
Fortunately he also possesses a fair amount of ability, holding a perfect 2-0 winning record over world No 1 Roger Federer and is leading 3-1 against No 2 Rafael Nadal.
Despite this, Hrbaty has never broken into the world's top 10, climbing as high as 12th in October 2004.
"It's very small, maybe just a couple of balls," Hrbaty said when explaining the difference between a top 10 and top 20 player. "In tennis, it's very important because these balls decide matches. If you can win them, you can break into the top tier.
"It's my dream [to break into the top 10] but it's not my major goal. My goal is to keep consistent," he said.
"For this season, I want to stay healthy because last year I had a few problems with my elbow. If I'm healthy and get some good results, then I enjoy tennis because a career can end suddenly."
Hrbaty goes into the Heineken Open ranked 21st in the world and as the tournament fifth seed. He was handed a piece of luck yesterday when drawn against a qualifier in the first round.
Maybe that luck had something to do with a recent fishing trip in Palau.
"For the first time in my life, I caught tuna," he said with a grin. "I had to eat the heart of the tuna straight away because the guide I was with said it's good luck. The local people in Micronesia eat the heart of the tuna and it means you will catch tuna the next time."
Hrbaty will be hoping he can land a bigger catch at the Heineken Open this week.
