MELBOURNE, Australia -- The withdrawal of two players
through injury and a nasty fall for women's 12th seed Jennifer
Capriati on Monday left the Melbourne Park courts under scrutiny
again on the first day of the Australian Open.
|  | | Jennifer Capriati took a hard fall on Rod Laver Court at Melbourne Park. |
American Brie Rippner suffered an ankle injury and was
forced to retire after just one game of her match on the new
court, laid with the hardcourt Rebound Ace, with compatriot
and No. 4 seed Monica Seles.
Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui suffered a recurrence of a
recent knee injury and retired at 2-6, 4-5 against Ivo Heuberger
of Switzerland in their first-round match on Court 11.
Capriati, the 24-year-old American, slipped while serving at
match point against Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia on the Rod
Laver Arena center court.
Capriati hurt her right ankle, but recovered to win 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, before receiving treatment to the injury.
She had the ankle heavily strapped and said afterwards: "The
heat always makes the courts more sticky.
"I think they have tried to slow them down compared to last
year. They must resurface them every year -- it certainly felt
like I was playing on a new court."
The courts at Melbourne Park are resurfaced every year as a
matter of routine.
Last year, players complained they thought they were playing
too quickly.
As a result, officials and groundstaff attempted to produce
courts that would match the speed and feel underfoot associated
with the tournament in 1999.
Defending champion Andre Agassi, who beat Jiri Vanek of the
Czech Republic in their first-round match on the newly-titled
Vodafone Arena on Monday, said: "The surface tends to get bit
tacky, especially when the sun beats down.
"I think they are slightly slower than last year.
"But it is always interesting to play on a new court at a
grand slam event for the first time."
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