For the fourth consecutive year, Tennis Australia and IBM are collaborating to produce the official Australian Open Web site. It is expected to be more popular than last year's site which recorded around 36.2 million hits during the 1998 Australian Open tournament. FanCards - Send your favorite player an electronic postcard via the official Australian Open Web site. At the 1998 U.S. Open, Patrick Rafter received more electronic postcards from fans than any other player, with a final tally of around 3,000. Daily Chats - Another first for the Australian Open Web site this year is live chat sessions.
Fans can volley observations and opinions in chat rooms.
The Australian Open SlamCam gives fans a truly interactive experience. From their own PCs, users can direct a robotic camera to pan, zoom and take a snap shot of the Melbourne Park surrounds. The captured image is then served up to the user. News and Reviews - Here tennis fans will find the latest news, results, match summaries and statistics, feature stories and complete interview transcripts. Users can launch the Java Scoreboard onto their desktops for quick access to continuously updated match scores and statistics without having to launch a full browser.