The Australian Open Wild Card Playoff is in motion this week. At this event we get to see 32 of Australia’s finest talents as they all compete for a wildcard at the upcoming Australian Open next month.

This event may not be something that appeals to the masses and it may not catch every tennis fan’s attention over what many consider is a month long off-season period, but it really should. First of all, I have to say that it is a tremendous event for the Australian players to have. Many Australians may not have ever considered having this opportunity to compete at their home Slam in a rare main draw appearance.

Think of the young Australian players that now have the platform to express themselves, to show the world what they are made of, and to have a realistic route to a Grand Slam main draw. This tournament has worked wonders in providing that springboard to greater things. A prime example of that is in the case of Daria Gavrilova. She won the event back in 2014 in the lead-up to the 2015 Australian Open and she has gone on to win a WTA title, make the Top 20 of the WTA rankings, and progressed to the fourth round of the Australian Open. Some real, raw, exciting and blossoming talent really does exist in Australia and this tournament enables us tennis fans to see that talent on offer in the week of the Australian Open Wild Card Playoff.

It can also be argued that the Playoff is perfect for the players for even more reasons. The tournament is played at Melbourne Park, so the current crop of Australian talent get to feel what it is like to play on the Australian Open grounds on one of the famous courts. That is perfect preparation for what is to come in a month’s time and the players all respond positively to an event that has progressed enormously and received great feedback from players and fans alike since its exception.

In addition to this, if it was not for this event, some of Australia’s best young talent would miss out on great financial rewards. In 2017, just for turning up in the first round of the Australian Open main draw, a player would receive $30,000. That is life-changing for many of the players. It allows some players to budget for a lot of the remainder of the season, it can contribute to finances like additional coaches, physio,s and other key members to their team. So for an Australian rising star or talented veteran eyeing more success at their home slam, a $30,000 reward can make a huge difference to them in the long-term and the Australian Open wildcard Playoff is key in making that difference a reality.

Now I am going to talk about how I feel about the event from a fan’s perspective. For a massive tennis fanatic that watches tennis all year, it is the perfect event for me. There are players that I would not necessarily see regularly on the main tours of the ATP and the WTA, so this tournament brings unknown players to my attention, but you never know, these players may not be lesser-known players for much longer. In the past, players like Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have played this event and we all know how good they have been on the main tour, particularly Kyrgios.

Some fans like the extended break in the so-called tennis off-season, but others don’t. Others crave more tennis action and even look for the lower-tier tennis events to satisfy their needs of more tennis. Australian Open wildcard Playoff is perfect for that. And you can follow the journey of the winner into the main draw in January. Also, I like to be able to follow the progress of a young, promising tennis player from an early age, so I can see how they have developed when I look back on their career in 5-10 years time. This tournament delivers in that respect as well.

It is an event I completely recommend and hopefully it continues to evolve in the years to come as it is such a beneficial initiative for everyone involved, but most importantly for the Australian youngsters looking to take the next giant step in their careers.