Men's Tennis
Results/Schedules
ATP Rankings
Players
Women's Tennis
Results/Schedules
WTA Rankings
Players
 Saturday, January 29
Rafter hitting balls in Bermuda
 
Associated Press

 MELBOURNE, Australia -- Patrick Rafter, at one time the top-ranked player in the world, is in Bermuda hitting balls so he can be ready for a tournament in Delray Beach, Fla., at the end of February.

Rafter, who sat out the Australian Open to nurture his shoulder back to full strength after surgery in October, said he won't try to rush his return.

"I'm confident that when we crank up the workload, all of the pain in the shoulder will be gone," he wrote in a syndicated newspaper column.

"There is still a bit of pain with the slice backhand and the volley and that is a worry," he said. "It's a matter of ensuring the muscles in that area are stronger and more flexible."

Painful delivery
Ellis Ferreira says the "mental anguish" of playing to 18-16 in the fifth and deciding set of the men's doubles final was "like giving birth."

The 29-year-old South African, who partnered American veteran Rick Leach to a grueling five-set victory over Andrew Kratzmann of Australia and Wayne Black of Zimbabwe, later scaled down his description to "pure torture."

Ferreira had two chances to win the match on Kratzmann's second serve but the Australian survived on both occasions. Kratzmann saved three match points before skewing a backhand wide on the fourth match point.

It was Ferreira's first Grand Slam title and Leach's fifth.

"Rick kept me centered," he said. "I was freaking out but he was calm. The guy is solid and that's why he's done so well."

Tiebreaker
Jim Van Allen saw Rick Leach's father play and then decided it was time to change the rules of tennis.

Dick Leach and Dick Dell share the record for the most games played in a doubles set when they teamed in 1967 to defeat Len Schloss and Tom Mozur 3-6, 49-47, 22-20 at Newport, R.I.

Leach, who won the men's doubles final after an 18-16 fifth set, said his father was proud of his record, although it was probably the type of set which inspired Jim Van Allen devise the tiebreaker.

"It took 6 hours and 10 minutes. Jim Van Allen was watching the match."

The tiebreaker was introduced in Grand Slams in the 1970s. Previously, a two-game advantage was needed to win a set if the scores were level at 6-6. In a Grand Slam, only the third set in women's or the fifth set in men's matches, if needed, are not decided with a tiebreaker.

Price rise
By one prediction, ticket prices may rise by up to 30 percent for next year's Australian Open.

Tax experts expect a hike because tournament organizers will need to cover a soon-to-be-introduced goods and services tax, or GST, on prize money. So Tennis Australia, the nation's tennis federation, as well as players and spectators will lose out, the Sunday Herald Sun of Melbourne reported.

"Not only will tennis players be hit by a GST, but so will Tennis Australia which will lose one-eleventh of all sponsorship money to the GST," the newspaper quoted Ray Regan, president of the National Tax and Accountants Association, as saying.

If his prediction is correct, a ticket for the men's final -- now worth 89 Australian dollars (or $58 U.S.) -- would soar to 115.70 Australian dollars (or $75 U.S.) next year.
 


ALSO SEE
Agassi beats defending champ Kafelnikov for Aussie Open title

Leach, with Ferreira's help, wins third Aussie doubles title