Tennis Chatter: Lazy Saturday

It's Saturday. And it's very gray in Seattle. And I'm still in bed... with a terrible head ache and a sore throat (no, I didn't go out last night... I have a cold!). I am going to be a man of few words tonight, but I would like to say that my prediction for the Tipsarevic-Federer affair wasn't too far off, right? Okay, that's enough horn-tooting for now.

James Blake saves the American flag with a remarkable come-from-behind win to beat Sebastian Grosjean in the third round. Way to go James! Another five-set win for you.


Meanwhile, the Fed outlasted my favorite Serb, Janko Tipsarevic in five thrilling sets last night as well, showing some of his vulnerability. Roger Federer now faces Tomas Berdych in the fourth round. Here are post-match comments from Tipso:


If you missed this piece by Joel Drucker over at ESPN, check it out. It's the top five women's matches at the Aussie over time, which pits the 2002 final between Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis at the top (which I whole-heartedly agree with).

And I also wanted to put up a better, longer clip of the Andy Roddick rage that occurred a couple nights ago. This is from ESPN, so it might get taken down in the near future. It has Roddick screaming at the umpire, the written text of what he's saying and the always-reliable Cliff Drysdale keeping us updated on what's "really" happening.

The Power of a Mission Statement

As much as it pained Martina Hingis to lose, she couldn't help but do so sometimes. Especially late in her career(s), losing was something that came along with her game. The problem for Hingis, however, was that her mission statement was too short, too simple. The abridged version read something like this: "Win tennis matches."

Hingis' statement is similar to many top-tier players. Actually, it would be hard to find a tennis player at any level that didn't have "winning" somewhere in their mission statement. For the most part, that word would land in sentence one or two, as the forefront goal of a player.

The important part of any mission statement - whether its for a corporation, non-profit, stay-at-home mom or professional athlete - isn't about the end goal, but the process it takes to reach that goal. How, exactly, are you going to reach this stated goal? How are you going to achieve your mission?

If you were to read the unabridged version of Hingis' game, it might go like this: "Win tennis matches by out-thinking opponents." Okay, that's a little better, but still, where is the fuel that feeds the fire?

Let's take men's tennis current number one, Roger Federer. Federer's mission statement might read: "Win tennis matches by out-thinking opponents with the use of tactical slice, a powerful serve, cat-like movement and defense that looks like offense. Achieve this by surrounding myself with positive, confident people who boost my morale, but also keep me grounded. Train under a regimented schedule that challenges both my tennis game and my physique, especially focusing on long-term conditioning."

Federer's mission statement is obviously more detailed, and more goal-oriented. The problem with Hingis throughout her career was that she stuck to her simple mission statement, instead of being willing to change it up with an off-court conditioning program or a beefy serve.

History shows that those willing to re-write their mission statements have been most successful. In 2001, Jennifer Capriati entered the Australian Open shedding her old mission statement ("Hit every ball as hard as possible") with a new one: "Hit every ball as hard as possible and run down every ball hit to me. Do this with a stringent off-court training schedule."

Looking at the players of today, I see mission statement as brilliant as Federer's and as ignorant as Hingis'. The point is, unless there is context behind a great player, they no longer will be able to find success like great champions once did.

Just last week, Pete Sampras, during his well-documented tour with Roger Federer, said that the serve-and-volley game was extinct, and that players were now being taught to hit the ball as hard as they could, simply put.

While Sampras' words ring true, he may want to look at the track record of the last two years in tennis, when players liked Federer, Justine Henin, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams ruled. Sure, they all hit the ball hard, but it's the substance in their strokes - and their statements - that give them the edge to be the best.

Still Sad (About Martina)

Ten years ago, Martina Hingis had launched herself to the top of women's tennis. She was a bratty 17-year-old with cat-like quickness and a feline personality to match. She was tennis' ultimate diva arriving at the cusp of the millennium.

For everything that she was, I hated Martina. I thought her game was boring, her attitude disrespectful and her confidence cocky. She epitomized the exact reason I disliked tennis sometimes: arrogance.

But Martina was the best, and above everything else, that's probably why I hated her so. She ruled in '97, and carried her swagger into the '98 and '99 by retaining the world No. 1 ranking, winning two more slams and becoming a dominant force in the doubles game.

Ten years later, however, she's retired a second time - and this one just may be for good.

(Hingis could almost always find a way to win on the court, but finding happiness has been another thing. Photo by anam1973 via flickr.)

No one could have predicted what Hingis would face during the decade after she crashed onto the scene in '97 while winning three of four majors. She was the Queen of Cry at the '99 French, then the Princess of Puff when the Williams sisters arrived with their games of power in the early 2000s.

Martina was always somewhat disinterested in tennis, though her craftiness and passion we just as evident. She was born and bred an athlete, but unsure if that's really what she was supposed to be doing with her life.

But ten years and two retirements down the road, I'm still sad about Martina. I went from hating her, to being indifferent, to wanting her back, loving her return and being frustrated with her lack of results.

Now, I'm just plain sad. Wondering if the woman who looked so comfortable on any spot of a tennis court can figure out where she feels comfortable in life. I hope she does it. She certainly deserves to.

Tennis Chatter: Serbian Slump and More

Novak Djokovic is pulling a Jelena Jankovic in Shanghai this week. Jankovic tanked at the WTA Championships, losing every one of her matches and pulling out due to illness. The Djoker might being feeling a bit of the same fatigue after such an active year for him, as well.

Justine Henin beats Maria Sharapova in a long final at Madrid. Highlights are below.


Meanwhile, the men's No. 1 couldn't quite pull it off against his challenger.


Martina Hingis is waiting to see if the WTA will get involved in her drug case. Miss Hingis is most interested in clearing her name, and hopes that the WTA can help her do so.

If the WTA does clear Hingis' name, I have a question: will she un-retire? After realizing that she won't be remembered with the all-time greats, Hingis looks to have set her eyes on a new prize: the player who retired the most times. Current count is two, and I'm hoping that she retires at least four times!

Thought band-aids were out? You were so wrong.

Tennis Chatter

The WTA Tour Championships get underway tomorrow, but the women have already been in action, doing a photo shoot for publicity. Check out the video of all the (photography) shots.

Martina Hingis' scandalous retirement announcement has already been made page 2 news, even on tennis-only sites like the Tennis Channel. Are we already over the Swiss Miss and her departure? Perhaps. But Steve Tignor did have some nice thoughts about the former No. 1 in his latest post on TENNIS.com.

How did I miss this awkward picture? Or is this a photo illustration? I'm so confused! Either way, David Nalbandian looks rather uncomfortable.

Erwin is back in action over at TennisServedFresh. As always, the popular Trophy Watch kicks off his Monday.

But wait, Hingis will fight the allegations? Okay...so does that mean she hasn't actually retired? So confused....

Tennis Chatter: Hingis Update, etc.

While I was (not) going to class yesterday and picking up my parents at the airport, Martina Hingis was retiring from professional tennis.

The "breaking news" that I thought surfaced this morning was a nearly a day old - so is the life of a student blogger, right?

Lindsay Davenport - officially un-retired and cocaine free - continued her assault on the women's tennis tour, belting her way into the quarterfinals of Quebec, where she's a wildcard. Two titles in three tries for the California mom? It's looking that way.

Want to hear what Roger Federer had to say after his loss to Nalbandian yesterday? Click here.

Speaking of Hingis, the WTA issued this statement from Larry Scott.

Hingis' full statement can be found on Peter Bodo's TennisWorld.

And the video (for the emotion, not the words):

Breaking News: Hingis Retires

Martina Hingis has announced her retirement from professional tennis for a second time - but this one might be a bit more permanent.

The 27-year-old Swiss player announced that she tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon this year and chose to retire because she does not want to fight a legal battle with the WTA for the ensuing two years.

More of this story as we get details.

Can A Dying Flame Be Re-Kindled?

When Martina Hingis announced in the fall of 2005 that she was making a comeback to women's tennis, the sports world (or at least tennis enthusiasts within the sports world) exploded with excitement.

Hingis, who had held the number one ranking in women's tennis for multiple years, was a both a crafty player and a fiery personality; it seemed she would breathe new life into a tennis game that had lost a little of its fire.

If you remember the US Open in 2005, it featured two stars doing battle in the women's final. Mary Pierce was having a resurgent year, while Kim Clijsters had just claimed her maiden (and what would turn out to be only) Slam. Both these players' successes gave Hingis hope, and when she held her press conference letting us know she was back, she was grinning ear to ear.

(Hingis sure wasn't a tennis fasionista in the late '90s, but she didn't need to be. Her game spoke the loudest (and sometimes her attitude). Photo by Globi via Flickr.)

And everything seemed to fall in place at the 2006 Australian Open when Hingis made her re-debut. She sparkled with nearly flawless in her first few matches, before falling to Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals.

Hingis walked away from the tournament quite satisfied, but her loss to Clijsters was foreshadowing for what was to come: defeat at the hands of the bigger ball.

You see, Martina had left the game because it was getting too overwhelming for her, the power was too much. Sure, she said her feet had been hurting, but her forearms and leg muscles ached much more from trying to play backboard tennis against the most powerful women in the world.

Minus quarterfinal performances at the '06 and '07 Australian along with the quarters at last year's French, Hingis has posted just a 7-4 record at the Slams, including two third-round losses at Wimbledon and the USO this year.

In 2001, the year before she retired, Hingis went 60-15 and won three tournaments. 12 of her 15 losses were to players named Capriati, Davenport, Williams, Seles, Clijsters or Mauresmo (a team of 32 Slams).

This year, the Swiss star is just 24-13, with no titles and losses to names like Radwanska, Granville, Mirza, Azarenka and Shuai (0 Slams). It just doesn't look the same.

(Hingis is searching for answers she can't find in her stings: her confidence is waning. Photo by Nineeighteen via flickr.)

Martina's fitness is something that came into question in the late years of her first "career", but Hingis has vowed that she has kept in tip-top shape since being back on the tour, something her physique testifies to.

So why the downfall of the woman who once lost 29 sets in an entire year?

It's first and foremost in the confidence. Hingis' swagger once gave her as much as a set and a half off of opponents just for showing up. But now the 27-year-old is realizing something she never had to question during her early years on tour: she is indeed human.

Secondly, it's in Hingis' inability to change her game. Yes, she did breathe fresh air into a power-laden tour when she returned last year. She did not, however, fix the things that made her game so vulnerably. A weak and spotty serve being the first and the habit of banging from the baseline being the second. In order to execute a game plan, you have to stick to it.

I almost wish that Martina Hingis wouldn't have even tried a comeback whatsoever. I do understand, however, that she had to do it for herself - to see what she could accomplish. Yet it's painful to watch a former champ remain just that, a former champ.

Will she ever return to the status we once marveled (and hated her) for?

The Falling Star of Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis suffered another setback in what we're still calling a "comeback" two years into her born-again career.

Look for a in-depth report this weekend on why Hingis has stumbled and if she can climb back into the Top 10.

The Comeback Queens

The US Open always makes me nostalgic. Every year brings its thrilling matches (though fewer this year than others) along with plenty of drama and sometimes - if we're lucky - outright cattiness.

Back in 1995, when I was just 9 years old, I remember sitting in front of our TV at home in Montana watching Monica Seles, dressed in a plaid skirt with a tight-pulled ponytail, belting balls back and forth with world number one Steffi Graf.

Seles had just returned from over two years off the tour following the horrific stabbing in Hamburg, Germany in April of 1993. She had gone through rounds of physical battles over the 27 months, but it was the mental climb (helped in part by her attacker being sentenced to absolutely no time in jail) that took her the longest to make.

When Seles came back, however, she was the darling of the tennis tour. Over the next eight year, Monica would show us flashes of brilliance that she demonstrated in the early 90s. She was the original Comeback Queen.

Six years after Seles' triumphant return, Jennifer Capriati made a run at the Australian Open that shook the tennis world to the core. Since her Slam debut at the 1990 French Open (at age 14), JCap had been christened the darling (and future) of tennis.

(Capriati at Wimbledon in 1989, just months after turning pro and still a tennis princess. Photo by jacdupree via flickr.)

Yet the child prodigy from Florida would fizzle instead of flourish, falling off the map in 1994 after less-than-hoped-for results on the tour. In 2001, technically five years into her 'comeback', Capriati re-committed herself to the game she had played since a toddler and won her first Grand Slam ten long years after everyone thought she would.

Martina Hingis was much like Seles and Capriati: a teen upstart with an sassy attitude and the game to match. In 1997, the then 16 year old won three of the four Majors and was the number one player in the world. Five years later she was a bitter middleweight, and left the tour due to 'foot problems'.

Though Hingis was driven away not by a knife or the lure of normalcy, the same call that Seles and Capriati heard beckoned the Swiss Miss back to the WTA in 2006, where she made a triumphant return into the Top 10.

Though Hingis has not produced a Slam in her second go as a pro, the verdict is still out on whether or not she indeed can be christened a Comeback Queen. As is the verdict on Lindsay Davenport, who is just one tournament (in singles) and a handful matches into her trial as touring mother.

Davenport's comeback comes under much different circumstnces than the three former teen queens, yet the goal is the same: win a Slam and get back to the top of the game. The Californian's strokes have always been some of the cleanest and most effective on tour, but will her once-scrutinized limited movement become a liability again?

It's hard to tell so soon, but it's easy to see that Davenport would like to join the distinguished of both the past (the aforementioned Queens) and the present (Henin, Williams and co.). Does she have what it takes?

If becoming a mom can teach Davenport one thing, perhaps it is how to handle her mood swings on the court. For much of her career, the American struggled with negativity on the court. With slumping shoulders and a moping attitude, Davenport lost many matches that - if she had the fighting spirit of a Serena Williams - she might have been able to have pulled out.

So if Jagger has taught Lindsay any lessons yet, they might give his mom an idea of how to become a Comeback Queen.

WOB: Wide-Open Bottom (Half of the Draw)

When the draw came out for this year's US Open, the powerhouses of women's tennis were stacked were stacked on the top half of the draw: both the Williams sisters, Justine Henin, Serbs Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. It seemed as though the champion of the year's final Slam would come from said half of the draw, and few could have any say about it.

Yet looming at the bottom were a few familiar ladies. Maria Sharapova for one, the defending champion and one of the tour's biggest hitters. Sharapova had just played one event all summer, but she had come away from it victorious and had every right to believe the strokes that garnered her a title here in '06 would do the same trick this year as well.

Martina Hingis resided on the bottom side too. Though her comeback has been less than she had hoped it would be, the five-time Major winner is always a threat, no matter what her recent track record shows.

But as this year's Open has progressed, Hingis and Sharapova have fallen, as has Nicole Vaidisova (a two-time Slam semifinalist). So leaves first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Agnes Svazay along with Svetlana Kuznetsova (the '04 Open champ) and Shahar Peer - Vaidisova's victor.

And while the Williams sisters will battle time-tested foes in Henin and Jankovic, Kuznetsova will deal with lower-ranked opponents. It's always the case at the slams, that anything can happen. With the surprising draw and the stunning upsets that have followed it, what can we expect in the second week of the open? If anything, hopefully some good tennis to round it out.

Tennis Chatter: Monday Mayhem

While Radek Stepanek continues a successful summer on-court, it sounds as though things with him and fiancee Martina Hingis aren't going as well. Stepanek announced through an ATP spokesperson in Montreal last week that he and Hingis have called off their engagement. Now can Martina focus on winning some matches? We'll see about that...

Novak Djokovic might be great on the court, but his off-court personality is one to really watch.

Sharapova withdrew from her semifinal against Nadia Petrova at last week's East West Bank Classic due to a leg injury. If that wasn't problem enough, the East West Bank Classic wanted to let you know it isn't the Bank of the West Classic, its counterpart to the north. Could the WTA be any more confusing?

The draw is up for the women in Canada. Most compelling first-round match up? Granville-Garbin or (Katerina) Bondarenko/ (Katerina) Srebotnik. Yikes.

Meanwhile, the men's draw is out for Cincy. The most compelling first-round match ups there? How about Murray/Baghdatis (two former Top-10 players)? Or Moya/Nalbandian (two former Top-5 players)?

Federer still hates Hawk-Eye. And did anyone see the Fed after his loss to Djokovic? He didn't seem one bit happy. Sore loser, perhaps?

Clip of the Week

The French Open has always had its fair share of drama.

This has to be one of my favorite moments, with Martina Hingis on the cusp of finally winning the major we all thought she'd win first, she absolutely implodes.

From the moment she challenges the line call at 6-4, 2-0, it's downhill from there.

If you watch closely, however, it doesn't look like the line woman and chair judge are sure which mark actually is Hingis'. And, the instant reply (though blurry) seems to put the ball closer to the mark Hingis was arguing.

Hmmm, it would've been great to have Hawkeye in '99, right?

Clip of the Week: Wouldn't it be Fun?

Yes, I'm a die hard Monica Seles fan. But if people have loved the Martina Hingis comeback as much as they have...think of what a Seles return would do!

The Houston Chronicle certainly has me thinking in those terms, so I went perusing through good ol' YouTube to find some vintage Seles.

The video quality here isn't superb, but I love the last two points where Monica shows us she can still move and then punishes Hingis with a fierce crosscourt backhand.

And the Madison Square Garden crowd loved it...

Clip of the Week

Reading, writing and thinking about Venus got me missing the elder Williams.

I went perusing through YouTube (it was a study break) and found this great clip of Hingis versus Williams from Warsaw last year. Another classic match-up: Williams' power and Hingis' savvy.



It's one of 228 videos that comes up when you search for Miss Venus on YouTube. Go ahead, try it out.

History Re-pete-ing Itself: Another Comeback in the Works?

First Martina Hingis, now Pete Sampras?

Don't get all excited, but there's certainly a pattern here worth mentioning.

Hingis competed in World Team Tennis, then took part in a couple of exhibition matches to 'see how she felt' before committing to her comeback in the fall of 2005.

Now Sampras - who like Hings, retired in 2002 - has already made quick work of the WTT, is exploring a stint with the Champions Tour.

I won't jump to conclusions too fast here...but the daily grind on the golf course just hasn't satisfied those ingrained competitive urges that Sampras has lived with for 30 years of his life.

Just a little food for thought.

Mid-Winter Lull

Tennis lulls come two times a year for me. The first is following the season-ending championships, when the season is over and I know I have six plus weeks of waiting before I can check scores religiously, read over match summaries and catch up on the latest happenings of each tour. The second comes now, following the Australian Open when the tour obscurely scatters throughout the globe and no big tournaments are to be played for a month.

This one has hit me especially hard. Winter is dragging on (it's only the first week of February!?!)and there is no sight of spring coming soon (at least not in Seattle). I haven't had the motivation to blog, mostly because I have lacked the amenities I came to cherish during the Aussie: AO radio, live scoreboards and an occasionally-televised match.

Yet there are things to look forward to:
--Martina Hingis has a chance to redeem her two embarrassing losses in Tier I finals from last year in one foul swoop. After defeating defending champion Elena Dementieva (whom she lost to in last year's final in straights) in the semifinals she has the opportunity to get some revenge on Ana Ivanovic, who destroyed her in the Roger's Cup final in August. In order for Hingis to start building confidence toward a French Open run, she needs to string together some of these big wins (she's beat Stosur and Dementieva this week) to believe in her ability to win seven in a row, and that elusive post-comeback major.
--Gustavo Kuerten is at it again. The now-30-year-old made his return to the ATP after a year away from the game at the Movistar in Vina del Mar (don't ask, I don't know). Though he lost both round-robin matches, its great to have this grand slam-winning personality back on the tour. I especially love that on his ATP profile he lists his own clothing line as his apparel. Classic.
--The American men are certainly out to prove their critics wrong in 2007. After a decent showing in Melbourne (Blake to 4th Rd.; Fish Qtrs.; Roddick Semis.) this week in Delray Beach has been rather impressive. Vince Spadea got to the semifinals before losing to Xavier Malisse and James Blake has a chance to make his second final in three tournaments this year with a win over Benjamin Becker. Jesse Levine, a 19-year-old college student at Florida, charged all the way to the quarters before losing as a wildcard.

If there is anything that can warm up a cold winter better than a the fireplace and a cup of hot chocolate, it's some good and intriguing tennis during the usually lack-luster snowy season.

Aus-mas? Au-nnukah? Aus-giving?

This is the time of the year that I really feel like a kid at Christmas: checking websites for scores, re-checking ESPN.com for their TV schedule, calling friends to re-arrange plans to hang out, writing down when and where I'll be watching in my schdule...if only eggnog and a decorated tree were apart of my Aussie habits then it'd be a full-fledged holiday.

But that's what the Australian Open is, and always has been about - a holiday after the holidays. It's a slam that sits alone on the calendar, four months after the US Open and five months before Roland Garros. For tennis fans - especially in America - it's a mid-winter break that kind of feels like a beach front vacation. The television glows of humid green courts and fans sip their Heinekens under umbrellas while players dash across the MELBOURNE-laiden court.

Irresistable.

The Ones to Watch: Men
A few days ago I wrote in-depth about three men and three women who I think are all going to be players to watch Down Under this year. The draw is set and in a few hours the first ball will be tossed and the 2007 edition of the Australian Open will be under way. Aside from Federer, Nadal and Blake, there is a barrage of men that I am itching to watch in this first major of the New Year.

Andy Roddick's improbable run at Kooyong this past week was certainly impressive. Though his ATP media file still reads 1-12 against Fed, this mental boost really will help the always head-weary Roddick. I thought that a Connors-less Aussie would mean a week one exit, but A-Rod certainly proved this last week that he is a big boy and can play on his own. If he can get his first couple matches out of the way (including a third-round encounter with Mr. Moody himself: Safin) then I really see Roddick going far, real far. A quarterfinal clash is expected against Ljubicic, but I don't know if the Croatian can get past Mardy Fish in the opening round. Both tournament organizers and I would love to see a Roddick-Federer blockbuster semi.

Novak Djokovic isn't a player that anyone knew of a year ago. Well, very few new of him anyway. His explosion at the French Open (he made the quarters) and a solid finish to 2006 launched him into the top 20 by year end. Now the teenager from Serbia has won his opening tournament of '07 in Australia and is looming in the fourth round for Mr. Federer. Though this youngster can be streaky, he is a validated opponent for King Fed. Not only will he win a set off Federer, but perhaps even two. Beat him? Probably not. But the future of tenis always gives a good show in the mid-week of a major.

Marcos Bagdahtis was the Mr. Sensational of the 2006 AO. He shared the title of crowd favorite with Martina Hingis and rid his guile, gut and hustle to a dramatic finals with Federer. Though many thought the Cypriot would faulter following his performance in Melbourne last year, he had a respectable rest of the year and enters the tournament as the 14th seed. Lurking in the third round is a possible encounter with fellow-under 21 club member Richard Gasquet. Consistency will be the name of the game for these two. Whomever can control their cannons better (oh how I love the Gasquet backhand) will find himself in a quarterfinal match-up with the defending champ himself.

Dmitry Tursonov is in the top quarter of the bottom half of the draw, AKA the Soft Zone. Davydenko is the projected semifinalist in this quarter and Nalbandian the eighth seed. Though both those veterans make viable candidates for a final four birth, the charismatic Russian-turned-American Tursonov is a fun one to watch. He carried Russia on his shoulders to win the Davis Cup title last fall, going 4-0 in singles including his monumental 17-15 in the fifth win over Roddick in Moscow. His game is as quirky as his blog, but if he can gain some consistency through his opening two matches I see him as a threat to go deep.

Andy Murray is no longer Britain's hope for the future, he is now their present. The Scot made his debut at Wimbledon in 2005 and has followed his success there with a well-thought out schedule and execution. The acquisition of new coach Brad Gilbert means we will all be spaired of Gilbert's mostly confusing commentary on ESPN, but the move by Murray was certainly a good one. He placed third in the Kooyong exhibition, losing to Roddick but beating Safin in the consolation round. He has no points to defend in Melbourne and could be a fourth-round threat to Mr. Speed himself, Rafael Nadal. Though Murray will have to be ball striking'ly brilliant to overcome Nadal, it is certainly possible.

My predictions: Quarterfinals - Federer def. Bagdhatis(5 sets); Roddick def. Ferrer(3); Nalbandian def. Tursonov(4); Blake def. Nadal(4).
Semifinals - Roddick def. Federer(5); Blake def. Nalbandian(4).
Finals - Blake def. Roddick 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(1), 6-3.

The Ones to Watch: Women
Maria Sharapova is the top seed at a major for the first time in her life. Sharapova has always had good results in Melbourne, including her epic semifinal last year against JHH in which she got robbed (literally) on two bad line calls. Though the Capriati-Williams match will always be remembered as the moment that gave us instant replay, both calls that went against Sharapova in the third were on game points...meaning she should've been up 4-2 in the third, not Henin. Regardless, Sharapova comes into this slam a little mysterious. She didn't play an official warm up, rather opting for Hong Kong and playing decent tennis there. No one gets more emotionally motivated for the majors, however, and the reigning US Open champ will be sure to bring her "A" game.

Aravane Rezai is a French tennager who has risen from No. 497 in the world in 2004 to 40th in the rankings this week. Last year she played a bundle of satellite tournaments before quafifying for the French. She won two matches, including a three-set victory over 22nd seeded Sugiyama before losing to eventual semifinalist Vaidisova in the 3rd round. She failed to qualify for Wimbledon and went back to the challenger circuit, winning a few matches and gaining direct entry to the US where she went all the way to the fouth round. This fiesty teen has a solid baseline game and enough family trouble to motivate her to do well on the court. Wins over Sprem, Kirilenko, Krajicek and Groenfeld (twice) certainly boosted her confidence last fall as well. If she can get past the bizarre play of countrywoman Emelie Loit in the opening round, I think she can prove to be a major force through the fourth round...perhaps giving Clijsters a little trouble there.

Martina Hingis was the kid in the candy store last year at the Australian Open. She smiled almost after every point, waived to the crowds, curtsed, bowed and blew kisses. A year later Hingis is back in reality, a still legitimate top-ten player...but is she anything more? She compiled wins over most of the top names last year, won a couple titles, but was just 3-2 at the majors following the French. Another quarterfinal loss to Clijsters (Hingis' new found nemesis) will prove to be, well, disappointing.

Serena Williams. Oh, Serena Williams. She was ranked 95th to end '06, her worst year-end ranking since '97, when she was 16. Her loss her last year (as then defending champion) to Daniela Hantuchova was in an eerily familiar scenario: "I was injured, but now I'm back...and no one can touch me." But already she's been touched: Sybille Bammer knocked her out in Hobart and her draw is anything but favorable. First, 27th ranked Mara Santangelo and then potential match ups with Michaella Krajicek, Nadia Petrova and Jelena Jankovic. A repeat performance for Serena again this year? I think so.

Jelena Jankovic is the hottest player on the WTA Tour right now. Though she lost to Clijsters in the finals of Sydney (blew a championship point in the second set), the Serb beat Hingis, Mauresmo and Vaidisova on the way to the finals. She has an 8-1 record so far this season and is improving her mental game (remember the US Open semis?) with every tournament. The thing I love abou this girl is how much you can tell she is loving playing on the tour, tennis is her passion and passionate people do well in what they love. Her no-woman's-land part of the draw is certainly favorable, too.

Predictions: Quarterfinals - Sharapova def. Molik(2 sets); Clijsters def. Hingis(3); Jankovic def. Golovin(3); Mauresmo def. Vaidisova(2).
Semifinals - Clijsters def. Sharapova(3); Mauresmo def. Jankovic(3).
Final - Clijsters def. Mauresmo 6-4, 6-2.

Happy Aus-mas/Au-nnukah/Aus-giving everyone!

From Lindsay, With Love

Last year at this time, Martina Hingis set the sports media world abuzz with the announcement that she would return to the WTA Tour after a three-year layoff. This year, Lindsay Davenport sent in her RSVP for the 2007 season with regards, citing pregnancy - not retirement - as the reason she may be done with the sport altogether.

Though Davenport, who's slumped shoulders on court always meant a sure-fire loss and off court meant a short press conference, may not be making a clear-cut statement to as what she really is doing, she's due in mid-07 and is more likely to be grunting in a Southern California delivery room instead of an obscure European tennis court.

Yet in Davenport's Wednesday announcement, she said she had "no plans to return" and felt that she was beginning a new chapter in her life. Her Christmas gift to Larry Scott, WTA Tour CEO? A little package postmarked not from the North Pole, but from Mr. Stork himself.

And while Lindsay ended the year as the number one ranked player in the world four times during her career, she never quite reached the potential she was destined to reach. She found her stride in the late 90s, kicking aside Hingis in the '98 US Open final before winning Wimbledon in '99 and the Aussie in 2000. Later that year however, Davenport would fall to Venus in the All England Club final and hit a dry patch in '01 and '02 as Capriati resurged and the Williamses began to dominate.

And it was in the 2005 Wimbledon final when the American girl next door matched Venus stroke-for-stroke and grunt-for-grunt that really marked the end for Lindsay. She held a match point late in that epic thrid set, but wasn't able to convert, which left her sitting on her backside wondering not about her next groundstroke but instead about which decorative window blinds would go best with the crib she longed for from Babies"R"Us.

Though Davenport did her best to make the most of her last 18 months on tour, she was an injury festival week in and week out. Her intermittent play meant more time with husband Rick and mother Ann to talk about family and future instead of forehands and footwork.

As the darling of American women's tennis makes her exit, the women's game may take on the same identity crisis that the US men have suffered for several years now. The Capriati-less, Seles-less, (almost) Williams-less Americans now must turn to a barrage of up-and-comers to carry the US flag. And while no American is ranked inside the top 30, there's no Andy Roddick, James Blake or Robby Ginepri to save the day.

But for Davenport, it's the right time not only for her family, but for herself. As a young teen who was often times criticized for her weight in the early 90s before taking the '96 Atlanta Games and Flushing Meadows in '98, Davenport now can step away from the spotlight and into the baby room's nightlight, a place she's longed to be since marrying Leach in 2003.

Now as an expecting mother, Davenport's "woman's touch" will be used for things other than volleys and drop shots. Even though we'd all like it to be a cake-and-candle departure for the three-time slam winner, there is still much to be wondered for the Girl Next Door. Was she too hard on herself? Was she not hard enough? (See 2005 Aussie final third set.) Was she gifted with game and not guile? Lindsay Davenport sends her wishes from her couch in California, with love and laughter. Good bye, Lindsay. We'll miss you too.