MELBOURNE, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Li Na’s Melbourne Park nemesis Kim Clijsters no longer stalks the Australian Open draw but her absence is no cause for celebration, according to the Chinese sixth seed.

If anyone should be popping champagne corks in the non attendance of the retired Belgian, it should be 30-year-old Li, Asia’s first grand slam singles champion.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chief Brad Drewett will meet with players on Saturday and address a new rule aimed at speeding up the game that has drawn criticism from professionals on the men’s tour.

This year, the ATP are enforcing a regulation that gives players 25 seconds to serve the ball or face a warning and then the loss of a point for a second violation.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Victoria Azarenka will carry her world number one ranking with pride in the defense of her Australian Open title, but knows she faces a grim task preventing Serena Williams seizing both.

Williams, red-hot over the past six months, won the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul and promptly took a dig at the Belarusian, declaring herself the true number one.

MELBOURNE, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chief Brad Drewett will meet with players on Saturday and address a new rule aimed at speeding up the game that has drawn criticism from professionals on the men’s tour.

This year, the ATP are enforcing a regulation that gives players 25 seconds to serve the ball or face a warning and then the loss of a point for a second violation.

MELBOURNE, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Victoria Azarenka will carry her world number one ranking with pride in the defence of her Australian Open title, but knows she faces a grim task preventing Serena Williams seizing both.

Williams, red-hot over the past six months, won the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul and promptly took a dig at the Belarusian, declaring herself the true number one.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – With a trophy cabinet straining at the hinges and a 53rd consecutive grand slam appearance looming, Roger Federer might be excused for feeling a little jaded ahead of his bid for a fifth Australian Open crown.

Not a bit of it, the 31-year-old Swiss maestro said on Saturday, having passed his motivation test during punishing practice sessions in the off-season.

MELBOURNE, Jan 12 (Reuters) – With a trophy cabinet straining at the hinges and a 53rd consecutive grand slam appearance looming, Roger Federer might be excused for feeling a little jaded ahead of his bid for a fifth Australian Open crown.

Not a bit of it, the 31-year-old Swiss maestro said on Saturday, having passed his motivation test during punishing practice sessions in the off-season.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chief Brad Drewett will meet with players on Saturday to address concerns over a new rule aimed at speeding up the game that has drawn criticism from professionals on the men’s tour.

This year, the ATP are enforcing a regulation that allows players 25 seconds to complete a serve or face a warning and then the loss of a point for a second violation, sparking complaints from players who have fallen foul of the law.

MELBOURNE, Jan 12 (Reuters) – The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chief Brad Drewett will meet with players on Saturday to address concerns over a new rule aimed at speeding up the game that has drawn criticism from professionals on the men’s tour.

This year, the ATP are enforcing a regulation that allows players 25 seconds to complete a serve or face a warning and then the loss of a point for a second violation, sparking complaints from players who have fallen foul of the law.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic’s bid for a third successive Australian Open title has been given a boost with a relatively smooth draw in the first grand slam of the season.

The 25-year-old Serb kicks off his title defence with a first round tie against unseeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the draw announced on Friday and faces no major hurdles until a potentially dangerous quarter-final against fifth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.