Richard Gasquet of France Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The strength of the 2024 ASB Classic field means former champions are on the outer ahead of next month's tournament in Auckland.
This year's winner Richard Gasquet will need players to pull out of the main draw or for tournament organisers to give him the final wildcard if he is to be back to defend his title.
Gasquet is currently sitting at number six on a list of 60 alternates who are waiting to find out if they will get to play in Auckland from 8 January.
Granted a wildcard entry in 2023, American wonder kid Ben Shelton will return as the tournament's top seed.
Shelton, who went on from Auckland to enjoy a mercurial rise to number 17 in the world this year, will head the players named on Thursday in the main draw.
The 21-year-old, who became the youngest American to break into the world's top 50, is part of a bunch of talented tyros who will provide plenty of spark to the ATP 250 event.
He is joined by the likes of 23-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked 29 in the world; 27 year-old American Chris Eubanks who is ranked 34; 19-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils the world number 36; 25-year-old Australian Max Purcell who is ranked 45; American JJ Wolf ranked 53; and 25-year-old German Daniel Altmaier, ranked 56 in the world.
Ben Shelton will be the top seed at the 2024 ASB Classic Photo: AFP
ASB Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin is making the most of what is available to him and is satisfied that he has been able to match the quality of the field from one year to the next.
Lamperin targets up and coming players and as well as those with a bit of a story to tell when he puts together the draw for a tournament that is warm up to the Australian Open.
This year's cut off for the main draw was world number 65 and for the upcoming tournament it is 66.
"The week leading to a grand slam is always a little bit tricky for the top 10 players, I've had a look at the list also in Adelaide which is competing against us and they don't have any top 10 players either so clearly the top 10 players have decided to arrive early in Melbourne and train so based on this situation we need to be creative and one way to be creative is to promote and look for the younger generation the like of Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils are the best two examples this time," Lamperin says.
Shelton pushed on after Auckland this year to make the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, the semifinals at the US Open, where he lost to Novak Djokovic, before a breakthrough tournament victory in the ATP 500 in Tokyo.
Auger-Aliassime, who guided Canada to their first Davis Cup victory last year, has been as high as number 6 in the world and has already bagged five ATP titles. He is the youngest player to make the world's top-25 since Lleyton Hewitt over two decades ago.
Eubanks, popular in Auckland this year, is another to enjoy a stellar 2023 making the quarters at Wimbledon, Atlanta and Miami with victory at Mallorca.
Christopher Eubanks celebrates his win at the 2023 Men's ASB Classic. Photo: Chris Symes
Fils will attract plenty of interest after finishing runner-up at the ATP Next Gen finals, and becoming the youngest Frenchman in nearly two decades to win an ATP title in Lyon.
Purcell, who won three ITF finals in an 18-match winning run; Wolf who progressed from Auckland with two semifinals and three quarterfinals in the ATP this year; and Altmaier, who won a Challenger title among four ATP quarterfinals, are all part of the emerging youthful talent.
While the Classic will have some fresh faces some established stars will return as others miss out.
Auckland-raised British star, Cameron Norrie, who is the second seed at 18th in the world will be keen to go one better after finishing runner-up at Auckland this year.
His year included winning the ATP 500 in Rio defeating Carlos Alcaraz for the title, reaching the final at Buenos Aires and the quarters at Indian Wells, Queens and Zhuhai.
There are a bunch of experienced players in the mix, headed by colourful Frenchman Gael Monfils, a wildcard entry, who grabbed his 12th ATP title this year and reached at least one final over the last 19 years.
Joining him are Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, who boasts 11 titles and reached number 9 in the world, returning from a significant injury along with five-time winner Adrian Mannarino from France.
Lamperin says looking at the list of players who will potentially miss out he wishes he had more wildcards to hand out.
Matteo Berrettini is one to miss out on the ASB Classic in 2024. Photo:
"I see Richard Gasquet being the defending champion who can't even get main draw access at this point, I also think about someone like Matteo Berrettini who is a solid top 10 player who has been battling through injuries who's not coming back and someone as talented as Denis Shapovalov who on a good day can beat anyone so I would like to have them all sadly that is not an option so we've got to wait a little bit longer to see whether the list is moving and what options are available to us."
There are 19 players given direct entry, with three wildcards (Monfils, and the New Zealand playoff winner, plus one to be confirmed) with the remaining four players to come from qualifying.
Is Lamperin tempted to give the final wildcard to Gasquet?
"Of course, Richard has had an unbelievable run in Auckland this year he holds 16 titles he's a great player so clearly we're in contact with Richard and we will try and help him if we can."
The full men's field is (Seeding, World Ranking):
1. Ben Shelton (USA) World No 17, 2. Cameron Norrie (GBR) No 18, 3. Francisco Cerundolo (ARG) No 21, 4. Adrian Mannarino (FRA) No 22, 5. Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) No 25, 6. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) No 29, 7. Chris Eubanks (USA) No 34, 8. Arthur Fils (FRA) No 36, 9. Sebastian Ofner (AUT) No 43, 10. Max Purcell (AUS) No 45, 11. Botic van de Zandschulp (NED) No 50, No 12. JJ Wolf (USA) No 53 13. Daniel Altmaier (GER) No 56, 14. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) No 57; 15. Marcos Giron (USA) No 60, 16. Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) No 62, 17. Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) No 63, 18. Fabian Marozsan (HUN) No 64, 19. Nuno Borges (POR) No 66.
Wildcard: Gael Monfils (FRA) No 74.
