Inside the Melbourne tournament with ‘no rules’ that attracts some of tennis’ biggest stars

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Peter Johnston watched the WTA rankings like a hawk late last year.

Ahead of the Kooyong Classic’s much-anticipated return in 2026, tournament director Johnston was keen to add Filipino rising star Alexandra Eala to the exhibition event’s line-up of players. But there was a catch.

Eala was ranked No.50 at the start of December, meaning at that stage she would be fined for playing an exhibition instead of in, say, this week’s WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide.

Two weeks later – at the time of the ranking cut-off for Australian Open entry – Eala slid to No.53, and outside the clutches of the WTA’s top-50 player rules on exhibitions. Welcome to the life of a tournament director for an exhibition.

“It’s all about staying nimble,” Johnston told this masthead.

“An exhibition owes you no favours. You’re not protected by tours, but you’re also not governed by rules, so you can have some flexibility, but at the same time, with you’re not part of a tour [which can make things harder].”

Johnston is a Melbourne-based former player turned administrator, who was previously the second in command at the Australian Open to Paul McNamee and then Craig Tiley.

These days, he is a tournament director at various ATP and WTA events in Asia, plus the Kooyong Classic, which started on Tuesday and runs until Thursday.

The Classic is the unique event of the Australian tennis summer as the sole exhibition and only one not run by Tennis Australia, which effectively competes for players for its “Opening Week”.

Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club still hosts the event, which was first held in 1988 after the Australian Open moved to Melbourne Park, but board members decided in mid-2024 that they would no longer be operationally involved.

That resulted in the Classic taking last year off, with Cal Board’s JJA Sports now owning the event, which also had a two-year COVID-related hiatus from 2021-22.

“This tournament’s died twice,” Johnston said.

“If it was running out of party tricks, you wouldn’t do it, but I still think there’s a way to do it. There are 256 players looking for matches in the week before the AO – and they can’t all get it.

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“Coming back from having a year off didn’t hurt us because the players missed it. There is a lot happening at Melbourne Park, but Kooyong is still a unique offering.”

Johnston has attracted star power again. Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Alexander Bublik, Matteo Berrettini, Flavio Cobolli, Frances Tiafoe, Karen Khachanov, Denis Shapovalov, Donna Vekic, Marin Cilic and Learner Tien are among the players in action.

Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, who entered the top five in the rankings for the first time this week, was also scheduled to play, but withdrew due to injury.

There are players who want to compete once, others twice, and some nominate particular days they are available, so it is a juggling act for Johnston, particularly in cases such as Musetti’s, where a player withdraws mid-event.

The Classic also prioritises Asian talent for broadcast reasons. China’s Zhang Zhizhen and Bu Yunchaokete are both playing this year.

“I love to play here,” Zhang said. “The people here are always nice, even though I’ve played twice against Australians – Rinky [Hijikata] and Nick [Kyrgios].”

The Kooyong Classic is broadcast in 30 countries, with the likes of Pat Cash and McNamee as commentators, so there is pressure on Johnston to compile a strong field. He locked in three-time grand slam finalist Zverev only last week.

Zverev knocked back Johnston’s overtures a couple of months ago, but was looking for more match practice after his country did not advance to the United Cup’s knockout rounds.

“The business model is very reliant on TV,” Johnston said, “so it is important that we try and have the best possible field.”

That said, Johnston and his team make sure the on-site fans are well-served.

They wheeled a basketball ring on court for Kyrgios to shoot hoops after his win over Zhang on Tuesday, while the crowd reaction, particularly among kids, reached fever pitch as the Australian star and fellow players entered the tunnel to sign autographs.

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“I remember playing here six years ago, and liking the atmosphere, being here in Melbourne,” Berrettini said.

“I decided to take a couple more weeks to get ready [this pre-season], so playing this event is great for players to play real matches. It’s perfect.”

The Classic also leans into Kooyong’s grasscourts as the backdrop for the social area, where punters can have a drink and chat.

“It’s still about getting the right players, but it’s more of an event now, where you can have a full day at the tennis, be watching, then come out to the bars,” Johnston said.

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