Tennis Australia President Stephen Healy said that "a decision to woo greats including Pat Rafter out of retirement to inspire a new generation of players is beginning to pay dividends," according to Courtney Walsh of THE AUSTRALIAN. Healy believes that "spearheading the nation's representative teams with Rafter and Alicia Molik is partly responsible for a trickle-down effect that has seen some encouraging performances in the past week." During the Hopman Cup, Healy also voiced his confidence in Craig Tiley's ability "to successfully combine his roles as TA's chief executive and Australian Open tournament director for the first time." Healy confirmed that TA was in negotiations with an airline to replace Virgin Australia as a major sponsor of the Australian Open, stressed his satisfaction with the organization's running of the Hopman Cup despite player withdrawals and a dip in attendances, and "expressed confidence a junior-age participation program will draw more numbers" than the Australian Football League's version in coming years (THE AUSTRALIAN, 1/6).
