Sharapova escapes, but snow stalls Roddick’s campaign

MELBOURNE - Bad winter weather is hampering plans of some top players to travel from North America to the southern hemisphere as the 2011 tennis season revs up from this weekend.

One player who escaped the wintery blast which enveloped Europe in recent days was Ana Ivanovic, who has arrived in Australia where she will team with fellow Serb Novak Djokovic at the Hopman Cup mixed team event starting in Perth Saturday.

The former number one has family in Australia. “It is a big change from Europe,” the Basel-based player told local media. “The past two days at home were a bit cold, but I’m so happy to be back.”

Meanwhile, three-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova is set for her first appearance in New Zealand as the US-based Russian heads for next week’s WTA event in Auckland.

Sharapova posted on her Facebook page: “I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I had such a great day of great food and amazing presents and two really hard practices.”

“We are leaving tonight for Auckland so I am really excited to start the season.”

Sharapova also posted links of her new clothing and shoes but said nothing about her racquets after ending a “lifetime” contract with Prince.

In the US, Andy Roddick and swimsuit model wife Brooklyn Decker looked to be snowed in at her family’s home in North Carolina, with Roddick messaging that his flight to Australia was looking to be delayed due to a massive snowstorm sweeping the eastern US.

Roddick called his chances of getting out on his scheduled flight “pretty dicey.” The American is due to headline next week in Brisbane to start his season.

Russian Dinara Safina was living the life of a “homeless” after her flight from Santiago, Chile,was cancelled after she arrived fresh from training in Argentina.

The former world number one Russian was hoping to cross the Pacific but had to stay overnight in the airport “like a homeless” as she Tweeted that she did not have a visa for Chile.