Grapevine: Oz Organisers Against Move of Tennis Match

Australian Open chiefs are welcoming a possible shift from January to March for the tennis grand slam tournament, but their Formula One counterparts are furious at the suggestion.

Paul McNamee, chief executive of the Melbourne grand slam, returned from a meeting of tennis officials in Lausanne this week, upbeat about the possibility of the tournament joining the Australian Grand Prix in March.

"If they were back-to-back in some form, the world focus on Melbourne would be unprecedented. It would set a new agenda for putting Melbourne on the map as an icon city," McNamee told reporters.

But Australian GP corporation chairman Ron Walker left tennis officials in no doubt of his view.

"Paul McNamee will find out to his peril that corporate Australia will not entertain people twice in a month," Walker told Australian Associated Press.

"We're not moving for Tennis Australia. We're staying in March and they can stay in January.

"Melbourne doesn't need to get on the map. It's already on the map because of all the events we've put on in the past decade."

Corporate Dollar

McNamee said talks had already begun with commercial partners and broadcasters about their attitude.

He added that the Australian Open would have more credibility if it was not played so early in the year. He said organisers could compensate for the lack of school holiday crowds in March compared to January by scheduling more late-afternoon matches.

"It may be alright where it is, but does it have more credibility if there are build-up events and people believe the players are better prepared?" McNamee said.

But Walker, who also heads Melbourne's major events committee, said the corporate dollar could not stretch for two of Australia's biggest annual sporting events to be in the same month and city.

He was also unimpressed by suggestions tennis players would welcome a move to February/March for the first major tournament of the year.

"Like Grand Prix drivers, tennis players get paid millions of dollars a year to entertain the public," he was quoted as saying in The Australian newspaper on Friday.

"If they're inconvenienced, so be it."