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by Prip Imagine this: you're among the best tennis players in the world, and you've cut what little time you've had with your family short to fly halfway around the world to play in a tournament. You arrive, and find yourself in what looks like a deserted sporting arena. You're not sure if you're going to get the practice you need in preparation because the practice court booking system is still a work in progress, and you haven't a clue who you're playing in your first match. Security is at a minimum, and strange people are trudging in and out of the locker room for no apparent reason. When you finally do find out who you're playing, the matter of when and where is another mystery, and you hang around for hours before being told that you'll be playing in about 2 hours. You hang around some more, warming up and stocking up on energy, getting some last-minute tips from your coach. You're all pumped up for the match, but when you get to the court, you can't help but feel the stark emptiness of the stands. Of course, this is a worst-case scenario, but the qualifying rounds at tournaments never cease to amaze me. I never fail to show up for the qualies if I can help it, and time after time, I'm disappointed by how tournaments handle it. Tournament dates in local media only show main draw dates, and the local people who would show up are unlikely to know about the 2 days of play before. Entrance to tournament grounds during qualifying is free, and usually happens on the weekends, a combination that is more than likely to result in considerable crowds. This is a chance for parents to bring their kids for a taste of high-profile sports, comfortably within any family's budget. For the tennis aficionados, this is a chance to catch a glimpse of the future stars of tennis. Unfortunately, tournaments organizers and directors still fail to see the need to prepare for a tournament before actual main draw play starts. Facilities are set up only on the day prior to main draw play, players have to cope with the sounds of hammers banging and other assorted sounds of construction, and spectators are sometimes even relegated to sitting on the ground due to the removable bleachers not being set up at the farther courts. Staff is kept to a bare minimum, and a fraction have no clue as to what's going on. It's about time that the people are informed about tournament qualifying play, and it's up to tournament organizers to make it so. Perhaps a token entrance fee would help keep things running smoothly, considering most staff at tournaments are volunteers. And it's up to you tennis fans out there to attend during the couple of days to show that qualifiers are tennis players too. |