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MELBOURNE, Australia -- Anna Kournikova was surprised when she was asked if she had a tattoo on her lower back.
"You actually saw a tattoo on my body?" she replied.
Kournikova won a Grand Slam singles match for the first time since the 2001 tournament, beating Slovakia's Henrieta Nagyova 6-1, 6-2. But the Russian ended up answering questions about body art.
"I just have a heat patch," she said of the patches she has worn at the base of her spine for the last two years.
"I have chronic back pain. It just happens to be that my skirt is pretty low right now, and everybody sees the patch."
Kournikova, continuing her comeback after foot and ankle injuries, will play fifth-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne in the second round.
Hot news
Since the days when Ivan Lendl wore foreign legion-style caps to help counter the harsh effects of the Australian summer, concerns about extreme heat have been a fixture during the year's first Grand Slam tournament.
But fears that the temperature could hit 98 on Monday failed to materialize, with a maximum reading of 90.
Sweltering conditions are forecast for later in the week, but wind seemed to be more of a concern for players.
"It wasn't too hot. It was a bit breezy. The breeze played a bit more havoc on the match than heat," Andre Agassi said after his opening-round victory.
Venus Williams also wasn't too worried.
"I feel as long as I have a hat, I'm fine," Williams said. "Without a hat, it can be pretty brutal."
Problems with heat in past years have led to a tightening of the tournament's extreme heat policy.
Matches in progress will be completed, but no new matches will start when the temperature reaches 95 -- a reduction from 100 last year -- and when a heat stress measure known as the wet bulb globe temperature reaches 28. Both must occur simultaneously.
The wet bulb globe temperature is a combination of air temperature, humidity, intensity of solar radiation and wind speed.
Fashionable Venus
Venus Williams is trying her hand at home decorating.
"I'm best at tennis ... but I'm also very good at decorating and design," Williams said after her 6-4, 6-2 victory over Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova.
"Most people, you know, if they do call my office, if they're confident enough to call, they have to give myself and my company enough trust that I can do their home, that I can be able to make their dreams come true in their home."
Asked if people also sought her autograph, she added: "Sure, they're hopefully excited about my play and my accomplishments in tennis. But other than that, I'm also serious about the design."
Family man
Agassi savors time away from the courts with wife Steffi Graf and son Jaden.
"It gives me the opportunity to rest my mind in some pretty special ways," Agassi said. "Whether you've had a good day or bad day doesn't seem to matter when you see your little boy."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2003, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
