Improvements coming to Melbourne

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Australian Open venue will be upgraded and expanded with a third covered arena, improved players' facilities and a large outdoor gathering area under a US$3.3-million proposal unveiled Monday.

Victoria (state) Premier John Brumby said he hoped the investment would ensure that the Australian Open would remain in the city until at least 2036. Melbourne Park's contract to host the tournament expires in 2016.

"This is the biggest event anywhere in the world in January, and we need to keep it," Brumby said. "If we want to secure this venue and this Australian Open post 2016, we do need to make further investments."

The plan includes a large piazza-style "Town Hall" that will be covered from the hot summer sun, a retractable roof for Margaret Court Arena, improved players' facilities and more practice courts.

It will give Melbourne Park three covered arenas -- Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena have retractable roofs.

Tennis Australia President Geoff Pollard said the 21-year-old Rod Laver Arena needed only "a bit of sprucing up," not an expansion.

"We still maintain that 15,000 is the right size for a wonderful centre court stadium for viewing tennis," he said. "We don't support getting bigger than that.

"There is no bad seat in Rod Laver Arena."

The improvements will be undertaken over the course of many years so as not to disrupt the Open, which generates the equivalent of 1,000 full-time jobs.

NOT SO HAPPY NEW YEAR: China's Zheng Jie retired after five games from her fourth-round match with a wrist injury Monday, an inauspicious start to the Year of the Ox.

No. 22 Zheng, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year after beating then-No. 1 ranked Ana Ivanovic, injured her left wrist when she fell awkwardly against eighth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova. She had treatment immediately but retired two games later at 4-1 in the first set.

Zheng's injury came on Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday for Chinese.

"This is my first time in the fourth round in Australian Open," said 25-year-old Zheng. "I'm so happy for it. Today is Chinese New Year.

"I hoped I can win this match. It's so bad I'm injured."

She said the pain in her wrist affected her backhand. She had not yet seen a doctor to determine what was wrong, but had a self diagnosis: "Just very sore pain and cannot use the power."

SOVIET INSPIRATION: Svetlana Kuznetsova is gaining motivation from her new coach, Soviet-era star Olga Morozova.

"She's very positive. She's always fun to work with," 2004 U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova said of Morozova, who has coached her since last October.

"Every day she has so much motivation. Sometimes I come to practice -- you know, every day you cannot bring 100 per cent of yourself. I see her, how she's motivated. I think this is great thing about her."

Kuznetsova trained for years in Spain but decided to return to Russia last year and hired former Wimbledon finalist Morozova.

She advanced to quarter-finals Monday after opponent Zheng Jie retired with a wrist injury.

Morozova was the first Soviet woman to reach a Grand Slam final -- three decades before a Russian woman won a Slam. She reached the French Open and Wimbledon finals in 1974, losing to Chris Evert in both.

"I'm really enjoying working with her and getting to know more things, more different opinions," Kuznetsova said. "Before I used to know only Spanish school, now I know a bit more Russian school."

Morozova's Grand Slam achievements were not matched by a Russian woman until 2004, when Anastasia Myskina took the French Open title, the first of three that year by Russians -- Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon and Kuznetsova the U.S. Open.

JANE OF ALL TRADES: Serena Williams says that while tennis is her forte, she has a passion for many other things.

"I can do it all. I cook, I clean, I write, I make jokes, I tape," she smiled, referring to taping an ankle during her Monday match. "I just pretty much do everything."

Williams, who advanced to the quarter-finals after Victoria Azarenka withdrew from their match with a virus, said she pursued other interests in order to broaden her horizons.

"I can't hit a ball in a box for the rest of my life," she said.

Williams already designs a clothing line and said she also plays a baby-blue Gibson Stratocaster guitar -- favouring "power-chord punk rock" like Green Day.

"I've always tried to do other things that I really enjoy, that I have a passion for," she said. "For me that makes me enjoy tennis more because I'm really, really good at tennis.

"Maybe I'm not so good at designing and drawing. I try to be as good as I can at it but it makes me appreciate my tennis game a little bit more."

HALL OF FAMER: Former No. 3-ranked Wendy Turnbull -- known as "Rabbit" for her quick footwork on the court -- was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame on Monday.

Turnbull made the final of every Grand Slam except Wimbledon and held a top 10 year-end ranking for eight consecutive years (1977 to '84) and top-20 for 10 years (1977 to '86). In doubles, she won the titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and Roland Garros.

Overall, Turnbull won 13 singles and 55 doubles titles before retiring in 1989.