ATP to review rules over player withdrawals
Men's tennis boss Chris Kermode yesterday pledged a shake-up in ATP rules as four players pulled out of the Auckland Classic before their opening matches, citing injury or illness.
Four lucky losers from the qualifying tournament found themselves on centre court as Ryan Harrison, Andrey Rublev, Guido Pella and Kyle Edmund all withdrew.
By turning up in Auckland, the players became eligible for first-round prize money and avoided an ATP fine.
Kermode, the executive chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), warned that rules about withdrawals were under review.
But he added that he believed the players' reasons for pulling out.
"The bigger concern would be players pulling out before they got here, that would be an issue," Kermode told Fairfax Media in Auckland. "They make the effort to come to the event and that's demonstrated the desire to play here."
Harrison, who lost the Brisbane International final to Nick Kyrgios last Sunday, said he was too tired after arriving in Auckland.
Rublev, Pella and Edmund all cited injury. All four are on the entry list for next week's Australian Open. - AFP
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