Active winners out in force

Every active holder of a tennis grand slam singles title will be on show in Melbourne next month when the Australian Open boasts its strongest field in history.

World number ones Andre Agassi, the holder of the French and US Open titles, and defending Australian Open champion Martina Hingis head the draws for the first grand slam of the year.

Wimbledon champions Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport, Australian Open winner Yevgeney Kafelnikov and US Open holder Serena Williams have also confirmed their appearances.

Only the retirement of French Open winner Steffi Graf has prevented a full deck of grand slam champions while Marcelo Rios' back injury, doubt over Pat Rafter's shoulder and the absence of Russian world No.66 Anastasia Myskina tarnished an otherwise unblemished direct entry list.

No one at Tennis Australia can recall such a quality field here.

"In terms of grand slam winners, we've had Sampras, Graf and (Monica) Seles missing in the last few years," Tennis Australia President Geoff Pollard said yesterday.

"To have only three players missing - male and female - out of 200 potential direct entrants . . . that's the best, absolutely no question."

As Australian tennis enjoys a surge in popularity following the country's memorable 1999, culminating in this month's Davis Cup triumph, fans are looking forward to the sport's most exciting summer since the halcyon days of the 1950s and 1960s.

An injury doubt remains over Australia's top-ranked Pat Rafter, but Pollard confirmed he was saving a wild card for him. "If he's fit, yes, it will be one of the easier decisions I'll make this year," he said.

The Hopman Cup teams' event in Perth from January 1st-8th opens the month-long tennis festival, with Australians Mark Philippoussis and Jelena Dokic defending their crown as second seeds behind Americans Jim Gimelstob and former world number one Seles.

At the same time on the Gold Coast, Russian crowd-puller Anna Kournikova will battle it out with, among others, fellow top 15 players Julie Hagard-Decugis and Conchita Martinez.

The tour switches to Sydney from January 9th-15th for the Adidas International while the summer's hottest field outside the Australian Open will assemble for the eight-man Kooyong Classic in Adelaide from January 12th-15th.