Tennis Australia fears that the Australian Open may lose its Grand Slam status because of two reasons:

1) Melbourne Park needs to be invested in; it has now fallen behind it's Grand Slam counterparts based on a recent report undertaken into the facilities at Melbourne Park
2) a possibility of another Grand Slam event in the Asia Pacific region

With considerable financial influence and pressure coming from Asia and the Middle East, Tennis Australia is requesting $300 million of government funding to upgrade Melbourne Park. Tennis Australia, has expressed concerns that it is not only a possibility that the Australian Open may lose its Grand Slam status unless something is done regarding the facilities, but may also find another Grand Slam event introduced in the Asia Pacific region, therefore decreasing the profile of the event.

The Australian Open has been upgraded only very little since the introduction of the Vodafone arena in 2000, while all the other Grand Slams spent $195 million during the past two financial years on their tennis centers. (via BlogSport)

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A new video game called Smash Court Tennis 3, featuring big names from both the male and female pro circuits, is due to be released for the X-Box 360 console in Japan this month.

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We all know that Maria Sharapova had to change her serving motion due to a right shoulder injury, and…in the photo you can see the outcome. Hehe.

The photo was taken last week during the 7th Annual Andy Roddick Charity Weekend in Florida where Sharapova partnered James Blake and they played Roddick and Brenda Schultz-McCarthy.

Additional info: I’ve just stumbled upon a forum called Commercials I Hate, and Maria Sharapova’s Canon ad, the one where she takes pictures of a dog, is being discussed there. What irritates some forum members about the ad? (via Celebmagic)

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What? I’m speechless! This is the most unexpected news! Nicole Vaidisova, who celebrated her 18th birthday in April, to marry 29-year-old ATP tennis pro Radek Stepanek, Martina Hingis’ ex-fiancé? Haha, when I first read the heading of the news I thought that Vaidisova is about to marry someone, and Stepanek is about to marry someone (that’s how unbelievable their marriage is to me!).

According to the Bradenton Herald, the Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court has said that the pair applied for a marriage license on December 10.

The Herald also states that Vaidisova’s agent at IMG Academies has not been available to comment.

Remember that Stepanek and Hingis broke off their engagement only a few months ago, shortly before the US Open? And Stepanek is supposedly already planning to marry? Hm, maybe it’s a short period of time for me, but it might have been long enough for Radek to find a new bride. (via On the Baseline, photos via Nicole Vaidisova On-Line, BBC)

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Venus Williams graduated in fashion design from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, and the Williams family certainly had a good time throughout the day. The celebration continued into the evening with the graduation after party and launch of Venus’ EleVen clothing line in Miami.

Who was there to support Venus? Father Richard, mother Oracene Price, boyfriend Hank Kuehne, and of course sister Serena, famous for always being ready for partying.

For more photos that illustrate what the celebrations were like visit WTA World and Down the Line.

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