Ball-kids to lose out at Oz Open

THE Australian Open in January was launched this week to announcements of prizemoney hikes and predictions it will smash attendance levels. A slick advertisement accompanied back-patting presentations from top officials during the lavish production at Rivoli Theatre in Hawthorn. Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood said a pending annual report would show he had doubled the business in his three-year reign. Headline band Spiderbait finished the show with a boom and it seemed all was good in the local tennis world. But tell that to the ball-kids. From January,... [read full story]