Tennis: Young Americans enticed by Open

Ryan Harrison. Photo / Getty Images

Knowing that they're not likely to get them back once they've become the Big Thing, Tennis Auckland concentrates much of its recruitment drive on finding the Next Big Thing.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have passed by on their way to glory and recruiter Jeff Simpson is full of hope that Ryan Harrison might one day have a similar impact on the world game.

That's why the 19-year-old American, one of only two players under 20 ranked inside the world's top 100, has been granted the Heineken Open's first wildcard. It might not please a few local players, but there's always qualifying.

Long-time Davis Cup captain Simpson said after a long time in the doldrums, Harrison and Donald Young, ranked 39 in the world and also coming to Auckland, represents an opportunity for US men's tennis to reclaim lost ground.

"We always look to pick out a couple of up-and-comers," Simpson said. "Ryan is an interesting young man. He just started on the circuit a few years ago - he was 15 when he played his first Futures tournament in Mexico - and he progressed really quickly."

Harrison became only the 10th 15-year-old to win on the ATP Tour when he defeated Pablo Cuevas in the 2008 US Men's Clay Court Championships, joining the likes of Richard Gasquet, Rafael Nadal and Michael Chang.

"It's quite unusual in this day and age to see guys that young break the top 100, it's very tough to do. But he's a very mature kid," Simpson said. "He's got a very solid all-round game and he stays in the points well. He handles the big situations well."

Young, 22, has been destined for big things ever since as a 10-year-old ballboy he had the opportunity to hit up with John McEnroe. Superbrat's endorsement that Young played with hands like another left-hander he knew well, meaning himself, meant his career was always going to be tracked closely.

He will come to Stanley St as the eighth seed.

While those two might represent the future of American tennis, one country whose present is taken care of is Spain. The Iberian nation has enjoyed an inexplicable rise in sporting fortunes in the past two decades and nowhere has that been more evident than in tennis.

There will be no less than eight Spaniards, led by world No 5 David Ferrer, in the main draw. He keeps returning, said tournament director Richard Palmer, in part because of the quality of Auckland's restaurants.

"Ferrer was one of the only players to beat Djokovic this year so he's in some pretty impressive form as he heads to Auckland," Palmer said.

Nicolas Almagro and Fernando Verdasco will be here, along with Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo, Albert Montanes, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Albert Ramos.

With Juan Monaco and Juan Ignacio Chela representing Argentina, Colombian Santiago Giraldo and Chile's former Heineken Open champion Fernando Gonzalez also arriving in Auckland in the New Year, Spanish interpreters should not be short of work.