MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Despite losing in the first round at the Australian Open for the fourth consecutive year since her return to tennis in 2008, 41-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm isn't ready to call it quits.
In fact, the Japanese veteran says she could still be playing professional tennis into her 50s.
Date-Krumm, who was the second-oldest woman to play a singles match at the Australian Open in the Open era, lost to Greece's Eleni Daniilidou 6-3, 6-2 Monday.
Date-Krumm competed in her first Australian Open in 1990 before top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki was even born and reached the semifinals in 1994. But since her comeback after 12 years away from the sport, she's failed to advance beyond the second round of a Grand Slam tournament.
Date-Krumm had difficulty controlling her groundstrokes in the windy conditions on Monday, committing 43 unforced errors to 14 for Daniilidou.
She also said she'd been bothered by soreness in her thigh after making the finals in singles and doubles two weeks ago at a Challenger tournament in China. She wore a bandage on her leg, but said it didn't affect her during the match.
``Nine matches in six days, for me it was a little bit too many matches,'' she said.
But Date-Krumm says she has no plans to retire - again - anytime soon, saying she'll keep playing as long as she continues to have fun.
After the end of the season, if I continue to play next year, I continue. But if I'm tired, I stop. Anytime I can stop, right. It's enough,'' she said, laughing.Maybe I play until 45 years, or I don't know, 50.''
SHOULDER THERAPY: Bethanie Mattek-Sands just wanted to make it through her first-round match at the Australian Open without feeling any pain in her recently rehabilitated right shoulder.
The 26-year-old American got painfully close to pulling off what could have been one of the biggest upsets on Monday. She battled eighth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland for three hours before falling 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-2. Mattek-Sands hit a whopping 81 winners in the match - compared with just 29 for Radwanska - but only converted four of 17 break points. Getting so close was a step in the right direction.
Shortly after reaching a career-high ranking of No. 30 last July, Mattek-Sands tore the rotator cuff in her shoulder, keeping her off the tour for much of the last part of the year.
``It's a little sore right now, I'm not going to lie,'' said Mattek-Sands, who chose rehabilitation over surgery.
HAIR FLAIR: Some go shopping. Some play computer games. Some watch movies. Australian player Casey Dellacqua uses her free time on the road to experiment with her hair.
Dellacqua revealed a darker hair color as she won her first-round match against Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia on Monday.
I did it myself,'' she said.Often bored in the hotel room. Get a packet and just chuck it in. Just something to do.
``Some girls like to, I don't know, go shop. I just style my hair or just find different things to do.''
Dellacqua has had plenty of down time recently, spending two long spells out of action in the last two years after surgeries on her shoulder and then her foot. She spent some of her enforced layoff becoming a qualified beauty therapist - although hairdressing wasn't part of the course.
``I can do my makeup and do other things I never could do before, pierce your ears, do waxing,'' she said.
Hair experimentation seems to be proving popular among the players in Melbourne.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, known for her eccentric fashion sense, had streaks of purple, teal and orange in her hair for her first-round match. She likes the flashes of color, even though her hair has become more ``high-maintenance.''
``My pillows are all purple, my shower is all purple. My hands looked like I was cold all the time because my hands were dyed.''
She's planning to dye it again this week at a salon in Melbourne. ``It'll be a little brighter maybe for my doubles matches.''
Andy Roddick unveiled a mohawk-style cut before the tournament, saying: ``I'm pretty sure I only have a year or two left with hair, so I decided to have fun with it while I did.''
AP Sports Writer Caroline Cheese contributed to this report.