Tennis: Nicolas Lamperin, director of the ASB Classic tournament, responds to criticism from Emma Raducanu

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Nicolas Lamperin, ASB Classic tournament director. Photo / Photo port

ASB Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin said the indoor courts used at the event were up to WTA Tour standards, following heavy criticism from British star Emma Raducanu.

The 2021 US Open champion was forced to withdraw from her second-round match on Thursday night, after spraining her ankle near the end of the second set.

Afterwards, the world number 78 hinted that the state of the courts had been a factor, describing it as a freak injury.

The courts were incredibly slippery, like very slippery, Raducanu said. So, to be honest, it’s no surprise that this happened to anyone. It’s out of my control.

But Lamperin defended the decision to move the game indoors after the constant rain and the condition of the courts.

It’s not a decision we take lightly, said Lamperin. It is a decision that we make with the tournament referee and the WTA supervisor. The courts have been checked and are fit to play.

According to him, the courts were redone at the beginning of last year and are of the same surface (GreenSet), laid by the same company.

A lot of work has been done and as far as we are concerned the courts are in good condition, said Lamperin.

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However, the Herald understands there is a disparity in conditions and Lamperin confirmed that the outdoor courts were refurbished just before the tournament.

When asked if the indoor courts should have been done at the same time instead of January 2022, he said that was not an issue for me.

As a longtime agent, Lamperin said he would have no problem with any of his players using the indoor courts, but expressed sympathy for Raducanu.

First of all, I want to make sure she’s okay,” said Lamperin. It’s my number one priority. I understand her frustrations, 10 days from the Australian Open and she comes out of a season with a lot of injuries.

We are obviously very sorry for Emma’s injury. Every player works really hard in the offseason and it’s not what you expect when you play a tournament in the first week.

However, injuries happen all the time. It could have happened on outdoor courts as well. We feel bad about the situation but the courts are fit to play.

Emma Raducanu receives medical treatment for her ankle. Photo / Photo port

Lamperin is yet to speak with Raducanu, who is undergoing further scans to determine the condition of the injury.

He would follow up with Raducanu and his leadership as soon as possible.

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Given his profile, Raducanus’ comments will be widely publicized in the tennis world, but are unlikely to cause any long-term damage.

Other players raved about the event, including Coco Gauff and Leylah Fernandez, and it sounds like a similar situation to 2017, when Serena Williams described conditions as the worst she had encountered in her career, after a defeat in the second round in severe. wind.

But the tournament has consistently attracted strong teams in subsequent years and Williams returned in 2020 to lift the trophy.

But Lamperin admitted that the past week has been a nightmare, with interruptions of rain every day and Thursday washing away.

How about the option of a roof, which has been regularly raised over the past 15 years?

I can’t comment on funding, said Lamperin. If you ask me if I would like a tournament with a roof, I would say yes, for sure. But we also have to be realistic. How many level 250 tournaments can really afford to have a roof these days?

There were also criticisms of the general organization and the time taken to switch between indoor and outdoor courts.

Lamperin said processes have been overhauled and any future transitions this week will be 50% faster.

He added that the players accepted the situation of a difficult week and were extremely understanding.

Every tournament in the world has had issues with the weather, Lampin said. It’s us this year. It’s obviously very difficult, not the experience we’d like to give players and fans, but we just have to deal with it.

I don’t think in the long term this will have a negative impact on the tournament. This is nothing new in tennis.

To add to a difficult 24 hours, world number 11 Holger Rune withdrew from the men’s tournament, citing a back injury, with Cameron Norrie replacing him as the second seed.

American prospect Ben Shelton has been given a wildcard, after an impressive year, which included a win over world No. 3 Casper Ruud in August.

Over the past 12 months, the 20-year-old Shelton has climbed nearly 500 places to his No. 96 ranking.

ASB Classic 2020 champion Ugo Humbert was also rewarded with a wildcard.

Humbert was ranked 25th in June 2021, but has since slipped to 86th.

Wellingtons Kiranpal Pannu received the other direct entry after winning the knockout tournament earlier this week.

Fellow Kiwis Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds received qualifying singles wildcards while Artem Sitak, Reynolds and Rai earned main draw doubles wildcards.

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