Ana Ivanovic gives thumbs up to new Australian Open surface

World No. 4 Ana Ivanovic believes the new surface at the Australian Open is slower, but less likely to cause injuries.
 
Organizers of the the year's first grand slam tournament, scheduled for Jan. 14-27, have replaced the Rebound Ace court surface at Melbourne Park with Plexicushion. They expect the new surface to produce a lower ball bounce and retain less heat.
 
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday for the JB Group Classic exhibition tournament in Hong Kong, Ivanovic - who is a frequent visitor to Melbourne, Australia - said she has tried out the new surface.
 
"I find it quite slow but it's very good for the body. It's quite soft," the Serbian player said, adding, however, she found the ball bounce high.
 
World No. 5 and former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova of Russia said over the weekend she was looking forward to the new surface because players were prone to injuries on Rebound Ace when the court got sticky in hot conditions.
 
Sharapova's compatriot, world No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze, said Tuesday she hasn't tried the new surface, but also found the old surface sticky and slow.
 
The Hong Kong exhibition, which will run from Wednesday to Saturday, also features American Venus Williams, Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova, Russia's Elena Dementieva, China's Peng Shuai and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.