Who can stop the surging Serbs? Ivanovic and Jankovic are the Eastern European answer to the Williams sisters, while Novak Djokovic is shaping up to be Roger Federer’s main rival on anything but clay. All three of them have got a legitimate shot at winning their first major this week in Melbourne.
ADHEREL
Djokovic did himself a [...]

Justine Henin said before her match against Maria Sharapova she needed to up her level, were she to stand a chance against the in-form Russian.

Rafael Nadal will have to beat a third straight Frenchman to reach the Australian Open fourth round…
ADHEREL
Justine Henin has now won her last 31 matches. In case you are wondering, the longest win streak on the WTA is 74 by Martina Navratilova in 1984. Henin will now face qualifier Su-Wei Hsieh of Chinese Taipei…
Mardy Fish [...]

Roger Federer has lost just six games in two matches at the Australian Open. That’s the fewest the Swiss has ever lost through the second round at a Slam, and the fewest anyone’s ever lost en route to the third round at the Australian Open…
ADHEREL
Roger Federer has won 16 straight matches at the Australian Open…
There [...]

With Justine Henin putting up a Roger Federeresque year in 2007, the resurgence of the Williams sisters and the arrival of two instant crowd favorites from Serbia, the WTA is coming off a pretty good year.

There’s a strong implication recreational players can gain from the 2007. The main focus is on the world’s two best players, and as I see it, it can be grasped not just by recreational adults but also by juniors, parents, and coaches.

In a surprise run of events this week in Madrid, Maria Sharapova is playing perhaps her best tennis of the season, Serena Williams pulled out with injury, Anna Chakvetadze is through to the semis and Justine Henin double bagelled Marion Bartoli.

In 2006, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova were all considered favorites to win the year-end Sony Ericsson WTA Championships. Kim Clijsters was in the mix too.

Was it a token of friendship, or was Sharapova’s support in Djokovic’s player’s box on Sunday more than just a thank you for the hilariously matching impersonation from the Djoker?

One week into the year’s final Grand Slam event, let’s do a quick round up of what we have seen so far.
The Home Team
Serena Williams and sister Venus both won a Grand Slam this year, but other than that, it hasn’t been an exceptionally great year for American tennis. Now that the tours are back [...]