David Palmer is not quite sure how he should feel about his first round draw against wildcard Nick Kyme in the Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters.
On the one hand, most top-ranked professional players would rub their hands with glee at the prospect of a relatively straightforward opening match, allowing them to remain fresh ahead of the intensive physical rigours of the later rounds.
But the Australian world number one and Island resident is well aware that playing the local favourite could be an awkward little assignment in front of a partisan crowd – especially one which will raise the roof every time Kyme wins a point.
“No disrespect to Nick, but in the normal course of events I would be very happy about playing the wildcard,” Palmer told The Royal Gazette yesterday from his training base in Belgium.
“But I know how much the Bermudian crowd gets behind him at the Masters and when you hear an enormous roar coming from behind you every time you lose a point, psychologically it can be a bit off-putting. I have a lot of friends in Bermuda though and hopefully there will be one or two people cheering me on as well.
“I’m friends with Nick and have trained with him quite a bit so I’m looking forward to playing him in such a big tournament. I was really disappointed with my second round loss last year (to fellow Australian John White). I was a bit off that day and did not really do myself justice. Winning a tournament in Bermuda is one of my very highest goals so maybe this year will be the year.”
Palmer leapt to number one in the February world rankings thanks to a highly consistent run of results, culminating in victory at the Windy City Open in Chicago last month.
He is currently nursing a very minor calf strain ahead of an incredibly busy schedule of high profile events, including the Tournament of Champions in New York – where an all-glass court is erected in Grand Central Station – the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and then the Bermuda Masters.
The affable 29-year-old is particularly excited about the Games next month, given that he rarely gets to play in front of friends and family and that he will walk out at the opening ceremony in front of close to 100,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“I’ve been thinking about it for months,” he admitted.
“There are not a lot of big tournaments back in Australia and I only play there very occasionally. The thought of walking through the MCG in front of 100,000 is incredibly exciting and I’m determined to do well in the tournament and pick up a medal. With the Commonwealths and the Masters back to back, it should be a fantastic few weeks.”
The Masters begins on April 2 and runs until April 8. Tickets are available at www.bermudaboxoffice.bm
bron: The Royal Gazette