The Australian Open was released early Friday in Melbourne. Roger Federer and Andy Murray ended up on opposite sides of the draw, while Serena and Venus found themselves slated for a semifinal meeting.

Sean Randall previews the 2009 ATP tennis season and predicts Roger Federer will return to the No. 1 ranking.

If China is so “crazy for tennis” as one ESPN writer put it, how come there were so many empty seats at the Masters Cup matches, even the final? Fans are so crazy they forgot to go to the event?…

No Rafael Nadal. No problem for Spain who still captured the Davis Cup title over home favorite Argentina.

Spain was the slight favorite entering the encounter behind world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, but after Rafa pulled with a knee injury, the betting swung heavily toward the Argentine side. Spain’s David Ferrer has had a disastrous second half of the season and enters the tie with little confidence, while Feliciano “F-Lo” Lopez does not have a history as a big-match winner.

It probably won’t make your local news or show up on front page of your city newspaper here in the U.S., but there is a Davis Cup final going on this weekend.

“It doesn’t bother me at all — we’re always in the same half of the draw, so I’m used to it,” said Serena, who leads the sisters’ career meetings 9-8.

The lengthy ATP season comes to an end in just an hour or so when David Nalbandian and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battle in the final of the Paris Tennis Masters, the last event of the 2008 regular tour calendar.

As I wrote yesterday, this final week of the regular ATP tennis season really is going out with a bang.

Indications are the men’s regular season will go out with a proper bang this week at the Paris Tennis Masters.

So what’s going to happen first, Marat Safin wins a title or Guns N’ Roses finally releases their super long-awaited Chinese Democracy CD?

Things went pretty much according to form this weekend in Davis Cup. Spain rolled up on a game U.S. team, 4-1, while Argentina v. Russia went right down to the decider, with the Gaucho Nation coming through on the back of hero Juan Martin Del Potro to win 3-2.

The Davis Cup is back in focus this weekend with the World Group semifinals and an assortment of interesting, if not intriguing, qualifying playoff ties.

I really am starting to love women’s tennis, it’s such a mess!

Look what I missed while I was sleeping, James Blake blowing a first set lead to eventually lose to 19-year-old Ernests Gulbis, and David Nalbandian caved-in after a 2-set lead against French newcomer Jeremy Chardy.