Defending champion John Isner has been locked in for next year's Heineken tennis Open, but there's no guarantee popular Spaniard David Ferrer will be back.
The world number 15 ranked American is the first player announced for the New Zealand Festival of Tennis, having won the title twice.
Spanish world number five Ferrer has won the title four times and is a regular visitor to Auckland.
But tournament director Karl Budge has indicated he's not the major focus.
He says Ferrer is keen to return but he's not a given because he's chasing the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic as the major drawcards.
