Serena and Feds want AO to stay in Australia
Williams, a three-time champion here, dismissed suggestions the tournament could be rotated among countries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as China and Japan, saying she could not envisage it being held outside Australia.“The Australian Open belongs in Australia, I can’t imagine it being anywhere else,” she said after her first round victory against Australian qualifier Jarmila Gajdosova.
“I love it, when you come here, you listen to the accent. My whole life when I was watching tennis it’s like, ‘Oh, I want to go to Australia and play the Australian Open,’ she said. “When I’m playing my video game, I’m playing in Australia. So it belongs here.”
Federer on Sunday said it would be wrong if Australia lost the right to host one of the four tennis Grand Slams in favor of emerging economic giant China.
“I don’t see a change in the near future, talking about the next 20 years,” he said of the tournament. “For me, it’s an obvious choice. It’s been here for a long time now.”
Seriously now, first talk of changing the surface, now the location?
