One of the biggest hitters in tennis and a stylish Frenchman are two late inclusions into the men’s ASB Classic, bolstering a quality field.

Towering American Reilly Opelka, who is on the comeback from injury, has been granted a special exemption to compete in Auckland.

At 2.11m, Opelka is the equal-tallest player to feature on the ATP tour (along with Ivo Karlovic) and makes the most of his altitude, with a thunderous serve. That was on display on Friday night in Brisbane, when he sent down 16 aces – all in excess of 200km/h – in a shock 7-6, 6-3 quarter-final win over Novak Djokovic.

Opelka has been as high as No 17 but has been beset by injuries. He is currently at No 293, though has a protected ranking of 33.

2018 Australian Open semifinalist Lucas Pouille is the other addition, granted a main draw wildcard earlier this week. A former top-10 player, Pouille is on the comeback trail after a series of injuries and surgery. He was as low as 670 in May 2023 but is now 101.