07 January 2024 , 08:00
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When the Australian Open gets underway on January 14, reigning champions Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka will be joined in the main draw by players who have battled through several qualifying rounds just to take their place in the main draw.
Every qualifier's dream is to repeat the success of Emma Raducanu, who came through three preliminary rounds before entering the main draw and going all the way at the 2021 US Open. Even that main draw spot and a shot at a giant-killing can be enough motivation, though, with Taro Daniel doing just that in Australia in 2022 as he knocked Andy Murray out of the tournament.
Alex Slabinsky was once one of those qualifiers, and the former British number four now has experience of the same level on the coaching side through his work with the likes of Jay Clarke and Eden Silva. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Sport, the 37-year-old provides insight into what happens away from the cameras.
"You have to first work out financially whether it works," Slabinsky recognises. "Australia is 11 hours difference to the UK, and when you're out there they usually say it takes a day for every hour to be in top shape.
"You've got your costs involved, flying there. If you're going with a coach you've got to pay for a coach. You've got your meals. The tournament does give you some per diems but they're very limited and it only starts pretty much from the time you start the matches or the day before, so they don't go very far.
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"So you really are looking to at least win one match in the qualies, because at least that funds your trip and then you can aim to go further and further in the draw. You have to win three matches to qualify, just before you even get into the big leagues where you get the chance to play the Djokovices and Nadals and so on.
"All those players in qualifying are aiming for that spot in the draw. They've already played three matches by then and then seven if they want to go all the way, so you're looking at 10 matches if you want to win the whole thing."
Preparation can take many forms, from getting games under your belt to sorting your hydration ahead of time. Temperatures in Australia can climb north of 40 degrees during the tournament, and dry heat even in the morning can provide a big contrast - especially for European players coming from winter in their home country into a southern hemisphere summer.
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Alex Slabinsky has taken part in qualifying for several grand slams (Michael Regan/Getty Images)This year, there have been the usual tournaments in Australia and New Zealand as players from other parts of the world acclimatise to the time difference and changing conditions. Raducanu played her first game in the best part of the year when she beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse in Auckland, while the Brisbane International has allowed players ranked outside the top 100 to share draw space with the likes of Rafa Nadal - himself on the comeback trail after an injury hit year - and world number eight Holger Rune.
Players will often need a world ranking in the top 250 to take their spot in qualifying for a grand slam, though the travel and jetlag concerns in Australia mean some even lower-ranked players might get an opportunity. It's a real mix, though, with up-and-coming youngsters entering on a level footing with players who were once ranked much higher, and luck of the draw can play a big part.
In 2023, former Aussie Open semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco was among those forced to go through qualitying. In 2021, meanwhile, future Wimbledon champion Alcaraz entered at the qualifying stage before reaching round two in Melbourne.
"In Australia I lost to a Russian player, Alexander Kudryavtsev," Slabinsky recalls. "He was just outside the top 100, probably not the easiest draw, a big hitter.
"I did play a few events beforehand in Australia but conditions are always different - you've got different balls, different conditions, and you're playing out there and the pressure is different as well. For someone who maybe plays top 100 in those big events, they're maybe a bit more used to it and for you it's such a big occasion that sometimes nerves play a big part in that."
Qualifier Taro Daniel knocked Andy Murray out of the 2022 Australian Open (Getty Images)There are certain things a player can do to prepare optimally. Sometimes this is just about avoiding jetlag and eating properly, but there's also a need for some players to look for all the help they can get from their team as they look to get into the right mindset.
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Slabinsky was a late bloomer as a player, moving from Ukraine to the UK as a child and seeing his juniors activity limited as he waited for a passport. When he moved onto the tour and took part in grand slam qualifiers he had to learn quickly, and now his coaching - as well as his one-to-one work, he runs Top Tennis Training, a coaching portal and website which offers video tutorials and other content - has allowed him to see things from a different perspective.
"You don't quite realise it as a player, you kind of see yourself on the court and you're doing your thing, but actually being a coach on the other side you want to get the best out of your player, and it's about making those decisions where you're trying to maximise your player's performance out there without making them too tired," he says. "You always have to watch, listen to what they're saying to you, look for ways to maximise their performance.
"Are they sleeping enough? What time are they going to bed? How well are they eating? You'd think a lot of the players who are out there will know everything, but they don't."
Emma Raducanu was a qualifier when she won the 2021 US Open (Getty Images)When Slabinsky was part of the UK team, touring players would sometimes share a coach around bigger tournaments in order to cut down on costs. Other ways to save money include bringing a fitness coach who doubles up as a physio, while the coaches themselves will often have extra responsbilities from booking practice courts to checking out potential opponents and even taking care of hotels and travel to and from venues.
The sight of a qualifier on Centre Court at Wimbledon or Court Chatrier in Paris may already be inspiration enoigh for those entering at the earliest stage - everyone has to start somewhere, and a visible goal can make that process easier. However, there's a sense that Raducanu's 2021 success has added an extra layer, while the men's game had a fairytale story of its own when Aslan Karatsev reached the semis in Australia earlier that year.
"[As a coach] you have to do your job and you have to do the best you can to try and prepare [your player], not burn them out and get them as confident as possible coming in where they feel almost invincible, that they're going to come in and cause damage out there and hopefully go all the way," Slabinsky says. "You saw with Emma Raducanu when she had her big run at the US, it's amazing, you're hoping your player will do that when you arrive.
"You like to look ahead and have a look at what your draw holds, maybe, but at the end of the day it's one player at the other side of the net that you have to beat," he says. "You hope your preparation and your training has gone in throughout the year, has prepared you to do that
"That, I think, gives a player a lot of confidence where they're going in knowing they deserve to be there and knowing they deserve to win, that they are going to win because they've trained harder and done everything possible, been the ultimate professional in terms of their diet, their sleep, their water intake, their exercises, their stretching. Everything that goes into being a tennis player, the more you can maximise it away from the event, it gives you so much more confidence going into the event, and I think it's up to the coach to make a player feel that way."