Lleyton Hewitt says he is ready to stop bitching about the Australian Open's sticky injury-causing Rebound Ace surface and play some tennis -- maybe: "The Australian Open means more to me than anything else and I'll go out there and compete as hard as possible. I'll still rate my chances as good as anyone's going into it, you know even on this surface. But I just don't think it helps, and it's not just me. I don't think it helps any of the Australian players...I thought I might have had a little bit of pull after being No. 1 in the world for two years and winning a couple of grand slams, but obviously not that much. I'm baffled by the whole thing and I've had a gut-full of it, to tell you the truth"...
Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan says his dad will still play a major role even though he has hired former player
T.J. Middleton as his coach: "My dad is still my coach. I've always been with my dad, for 10-15 years, since I was a junior. It was my dad who at one point got me to the Top 10, so there is nothing much to say about it. He is a great father, a great coach. A new coach coming in is to get a new experience, new technique. I'm not going to change my style, but just the way he talks, he can prepare me better mentally...Last year was not really great, but I'm really happy as it could have been a lot worse. It was not good like 2002 and 2003, but it is very difficult to maintain that level and defend points. This year I don't have much points to defend, so hopefully I can bring it back to the Top 20 first and then take it back to the Top 10."...
Tatiana "Hot Pants" Golovin, who can only play 18 tournaments this year due to the WTA age restrictions, on being ranked in the Top 30: "It's very positive and I'm especially happy that now I'll be seeded at tournaments such as the grand slams so I can play against the best players. When you're ranked outside the Top 100 it's really hard to play the challengers and the qualifiers, so I'm really happy that I got through that area really fast."...
Lindsay Davenport has spent 50 total weeks at No. 1, seven behind
Serena Williams who is No. 6 on the all-time list...
Kim Clijsters has officially pulled from the Australian Open with her chronic wrist injury...After his win Monday in Doha,
Roger Federer made the surprise announcement that
Tony Roche will work as his coach for 10 weeks during 2005. "It's good to know that there will be help there because I need someone to analyze and help improve my game," Federer said. "I have no clue what I would do (without him). It's a relief that there will be help at times when I want it."...
Leander Paes broke down crying upon a visit to the tsunami-wrecked Marina beach near the ATP Chennai site, according to
The Star: "Madras was home to me for five years and Marina was the place where we used to train," said an emotional Paes during a visit to the beach where almost 200 people died on Dec. 26. "Early morning jogs four days a week, then all those training sessions, the diving and the lunging on the sands. It boggles the mind that now the same beach, home and a source of livelihood for many, is a devastated place. It really hits you and makes you realize the power of Mother Nature. I will donate whatever money I earn from the Chennai Open to the relief funds for the victims and also contribute in other ways to help them."