Serena Williams Breezes to Rogers Cup Title

By Mike McIntyre

Serena Williams made a big statement today in Toronto as she easily defeated Samantha Stosur to claim the Rogers Cup by a score of 6-4, 6-2. Williams looked every bit the champion that we have come to know over the years and is without a doubt the favorite as the U.S. Open approaches.

Few gave Stosur much of a chance to realistically win the match. With a 2-8 record in WTA finals, the Australian seems to lack the composure to play her best game during these types of moments. Add to the fact that Williams has been gaining confidence with every victory over the past two weeks and it was going to be awfully tough for anyone to beat her. Between her title in Stanford and here in Toronto she has now won 11 matches in-a-row.

The two players managed to hold their serves through the opening eight games and for a short while it appeared we might have a competitive final on our hands. Instead, Serena managed to break thanks to a beautiful cross-court volley to take a 5-4 lead. She would close out the set in the following game.

While the tournament did not provide a comparison of winners to errors I noted a lack of clear-cut winners from both players. That does not mean there were not some impressive points between the two, but rather that with Serena making such high-qualitygroundstrokes, Stosur was often forced into making errors.

Stosur did crumple however as the second set got going and could not seem to find a way to counter Serena's powerful attack. Williams quickly found herself up 2-0 and would break again a bit later to take a 4-1 lead.

With dark clouds looming overhead and thunder rattling nearby, it looked for sometime that rain might halt play and give Stosur a chance to re-group. Instead it held-off just long enough to complete the match, which Serena did in her final service game thanks to four aces including one on match point.

In the post-match interview on court Serena showed off a different side from the one she revealed to Stosur during their hard-hitting rallies.

"I always wanted to win this trophy 'cause it's so cute," Williams gushed to the adoring crowd.

Not exactly what you'd expect from the winner of 13 Grand Slam titles, but you never do know what to expect from the American tennis legend.

After the match Williams alternated between answers that were at times modest and at others incredibly confident, perhaps even cocky.

On the one hand she said that she never doubted she would be able to return to playing this quality of tennis. On the other she claimed that she felt like the underdog coming into the Rogers Cup. Take what you want from her comments, at the end of the day she is suddenly the one to beat after nearly a year absence from the tour.

While Kim Clijsters truly shocked the tennis world two years ago with her victory at the U.S. Open following her first retirement from the sport, I don't think that anyone will be surprised if Williams can pull-off a similar result in her comeback from injury and illness.

Williams Defeats Azarenka to Move Into Rogers Cup Final

By Mike McIntyre

Serena Williams came through in fine style tonight in Toronto as she defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the Rogers Cup final.

Williams played a remarkably clean game for someone who is only playing in her fourth tournament back after missing a year from the WTA Tour.There are very few players, man or woman, who could accomplish such a quick return to the top of the game.

Azarenka was coming in playing some terrific tennis as she had only dropped six games through three matches in the tournament. While she started strong in the opening few games against Williams, she could not sustain the same level of play tonight that we have seen all week long.

Williams broke to go up 4-2, yet Azarenka was able to promptly break her right back. Instead of then building on that momentum, the fourth ranked player from Belarus dropped her serve again to allow Serena to serve for the first set at 5-3. The American won all four points on her serve in that important game and took the opening frame 6-3 with an ace.

In the second set Azarenka was never able to mount a real challenge and could not break Serena's serve. She would double fault at 3-3, 15-40 to give Serena the break she would need to move on towards victory.

While Azarenka has many great skills on the tennis court, her soft second serve was far too easy for Williams to pounce on tonight.

The final score was 6-3, 6-3, which was a cleaner victory than many expected in this match-up. Williams was happy with the progress she has been making here this week yet feels she still has another gear to reach. Just what the rest of the tour wanted to hear, right?

"I feel like...I still can do a little better," Serena said. "But overall, I'm almost maybe where I was almost (before the time off), but I want to exceed that level.

Looking forward to the final against Stosur, Williams had the following assessment:

"Well, the last time we played, she got the best of me. It was an intense match, and she played really well. So being ranked 10th in the world...I think that, you know, she definitely has an opportunity to take it all. She's been playing well. I think this court really suits her game. We'll see. I have nothing to lose, and I'm happy to have gotten this far. Hopefully if I take another title, that would be great. If not, you know, hey, there's next week."

The way she is playing right now, it is hard to imagine Serena losing tomorrow. With her stellar play of late, coupled with Stosur's lackluster 2-8 record in WTA finals, expect Williams to win her second tournament in-a-row and head towards the U.S. Open as the definitive favorite.

Final Four Set In Toronto at Rogers Cup

By Mike McIntyre

With both the men's and women's tournaments running simultaneously in Canada this year, members of the media had to make some big decisions about how to cover this virtually combined event for the first time.

I had planned ahead of time to do the first half in Montreal watching the men and then to transition to Toronto to catch the women finish things off and also take-in the Legends tournament with Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Jim Courier and John McEnroe. I just arrived in Toronto today in time to see the four quarter-final matches and it took a few matches before the level of play picked-up.

Sam Stosur took out surprise quarter-finalist Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-1 in the opening match of the day. It was the end of a good run by Vinci who knocked off some serious competition in Yanina Wickmayer, Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic one after another. Vinci's loss brings an end to the blog she was keeping while here in Toronto.

In the second match of the day, fourth seeded Victoria Azarenka had no trouble in dispatching qualifier Galina Voskoboeva with ease by a score of 6-1, 6-2. Azarenka was doing her best impression as the tournament favorite. She raced out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back. Whatever Voskoboeva had going for her they day before against Maria Sharapova was no longer in effect. She looked like a shell of what she brought on court Thursday.

In a mid-afternoon match, 11th seed Andrea Petkovic took on 13th seed Agnieska Radwanska. The pair played a semi-final match last week in Carslbad where Radwanska prevailed in three sets. Despite bringing more fire-power onto the court, Petkovic made a few too many unforced errors while Radwanska played a very consistent and balanced game. The lack of power in her game did nothing to prevent her from prolonging the rallies and waiting for Petkovic to make a mistake. Radwanksa would win by a routine 6-3, 6-4 final score. She has now won 9 consecutive matches and joked on court after the match that she was trying to emulate Novak Djokovic's streak from earlier in the year.

Petkovic seemed pretty relaxed after the match and was upbeat with the media in her press conference. Despite the fact that she is now 0-4 against Radwanska in her career she had the following to say:

"Well, actually, I really enjoy playing her, because I always think it's a good match to watch for the audience."

In assessing her strategy Petkovic said that, "...today I just felt like, I don't know, I needed to overpower her, which was the wrong approach."

Radwanska meanwhile just seems content to approach the top ten but doesn't strike me as having the killer-instinct necessary to actually contend for a Grand Slam championship.

In the evening match Serena Williams was up against Lucie Safarova. Tennis fans were finally treated to some drama in this one as the match would go the distance. From the get-go it was apparent that Safarova was not simply going to roll-over or submit to nerves as some other Serena opponents have done this week. See Bondarenko, Alona for evidence of the above. Safarova played with tons of confidence and would break to go up 4-3. Later, she easily held her final service game of the first set at love to take it 6-4.

Serena refused to quit, which should come as no surprise. Her game began to find the mark and she started to find some incredible angles on the court. Safarova was still giving it her all and both players applauded each other on more than one occasion. The display of sportsmanship was appreciated by the Toronto crowd.

Serena would break to go up 3-1 and never looked back. She would take the second set as well as the third to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The semi-finals are now set for Saturday. Sam Stosur will first take-on Agnieska Radwanska in the daytime match. At night, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka will meet. The winner of the late match won't have as much time to recover for Sunday, but which ever player wins between those two will certainly be considered the favorite.

Legends Michael Chang and John McEnroe will meet before the first semi and Andre Agassi will face Jim Courier after the second one. A great day of tennis is on deck. Stay tuned for more coverage here at ProTennisFan.

Serena Williams On Sports Illustrated Cover

Sports Illustrated's tennis expert L. Jon Wertheim declares Serena Williams to be the "Best Ever" in the recent issue of SI. Agree with him or not, he makes a compelling case despite thefact that she "only" has 13 singles Grand Slams titles and trails names such as Chris Evert (18), Steffi Graf (22), Martina Navratilova (18) and all-time leader Margaret Court (24).

Feel free to read our June 2009 article, "Sports Illustrated's Elusive Cover" about the relationship between Tennis and Sports Illustrated over the years.

Venus Williams Suffers Ironic Loss At Wimbledon

By Mike McIntyre

American Venus Williams, who had made 8 of the previous 10 Wimbledon singles finals, learned a hard lesson about irony today at the All England Club.

The number two ranked player in the world suffered a crushing defeat on the same day her book, "Come To Win" was released.

A few hours after being knocked off 6-2, 6-3 by Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, Williams was already promoting her new release on Twitter where she offered followers a chance to read passages from her book.

It would seem however that it was the little-known Pironkova who came to win today and in the process advances to the semi-finals of Wimbledon where she will next face Vera Zvonareva - a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 winner over Kim Clijsters.

The 82nd ranked Pironkova - a sure-shot to break into the top-fifty regardless of her next result - defeated Williams much to her own surprise.

"If I have to be honest: no," she said about the possibility of making the final-four. "Coming here, I really just wanted to play a good game, to maybe win one or two rounds. But (a) semifinal looked, to me, very far."

Maybe the number 82 is somewhat of a kryptonite towards American tennis players, as Andy Roddick was defeated by the 82nd ranked male player in the world, Yen-Hsun Lu, the day before.

The early exit by Venus is especially surprising given the solid year she has put together so far in 2010. In her post-match press conference however, she failed to give much credit to her able opponent.

"Yeah, you know, it's very disappointing. I felt like I played some players along the way who played really well. You know, I think she played really well, too, but maybe not as tough as like my fourth round or my third round or even my second round." 

Instead she took a page out of her sisters book and claimed that her own short-comings were largely responsible for her early departure.

"You know, to not be able to bring my best tennis today and to just make that many errors is disappointing in a match where I feel like, you know, I wasn't overpowered, you know, hit off the court or anything; where I just kind of let myself exit."

In other women's action, sister Serena moved past Li Na 7-5, 6-3, while Petra Kvitova defeated Kaia Kanepi by a much more grueling score of 4-6, 7-6(8), 8-6 while saving five match-points against her in the process.

The odds now clearly favor Serena when examining the Grand Slam experience of the remaining four players. While the unknown factor of playing someone like Kvitova or Pironkova may offer some subtle challenges, the world's number-one player should advance towards the title with little intrigue standing in her way.

Perhaps Venus can take some solace if her younger sister comes to win in her place.

Sony Ericsson Round One Update

By Mike McIntyre

The first round of women's action at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami was completed on Wednesday without any upsets to speak of. With the top thirty-two players receiving byes through to the second round, there really weren't many opportunities for upsets though I suppose.

Of the notable names in action, veterans Patty Schyder and Kimiko Date Krumm advanced in three sets respectively. In a match between two players on the comeback trail, Australia's Alicia Molik thrashed returning mother Ashley Harkleroad of the United States 6-1, 6-1. Justine Henin got by Jill Craybas 6-2, 6-2 to move on to an exciting second round match against fifth seeded Elena Dementieva. Up and coming American Melanie Oudin defeated Michaella Krajicek 6-2, 6-4.

Qualifiers fared decently as they managed a 5-6 record against higher ranked players who already had a guaranteed spot in the draw. There really are some advantages to having already played two pre-tournament matches as is evidenced by that statistic.

Some interesting second round matches on deck include Oudin against eleventh seeded Vera Zvonareva. Oudin has typically played well against high-ranked Russian's and could really use the confidence boost of defeating a top level player after a so-so start to 2010. Meanwhile, the Daniela Hantuchova versus Patty Schyder match has three sets written all over it.

Noticeably missing from action here in Miami are Serena Williams (knee), Dinara Safina (back) and Maria Sharapova (elbow) which has contributed to a somewhat sparse opening round.

On the men's side, only the bottom half of the draw saw action on Wednesday and as with the women there were no shocking upsets to discuss.

Richard Gasquet losing to diminutive Oliver Rochus was surprising, while Mario Ancic losing to Jeremy Chardy reveals that the tall Croat still has a ways to go after returning from mono. One player who must have been happy to get the win was Argentine David Nalbandian who also recently returned to the tour.

Another nice sight was Taylor Dent defeating veteran qualifier Rainer Schuettler in straight sets. While I know that members of the media are supposed to stay unbiased, I really have a soft spot for the serve and volley style that Dent brings to the game. And how can you not root for a guy who thought his career was over due to a serious back injury?

A close first-round match saw another American, James Blake, narrowly defeat eighteen year old wildcard Filip Krajinovic from Serbia 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4. Something tells me we should be keeping an eye on this kid in the future. 

Keep checking back at Pro Tennis Fan for further updates and analysis as the Sony Ericsson Open continues in Miami.

Henin and Williams Ready to Renew Rivalry

By Mike McIntyre

Diminutive Justine Henin has just one more step to take to match fellow-Belgian Kim Clijsters' remarkable comeback from last summer. Clijsters won a Grand Slam in just her third tournament back on tour at the U.S. Open in August. Henin is trying to one-up Clijsters, by accomplishing the same feat in only her second tournament back at the Australian Open on Saturday.

Clijsters was able to impressively win at Flushing Meadows by defeating not just one, but two Williams sisters. Henin only has to defeat one here in Melbourne, but that sister just happens to be the current world number one, Serena Williams.

While Williams appears to be bothered by injuries to her right quad and left knee, (that are both heavily taped during matches) she can never be underestimated, especially not in a Grand Slam final. That being said, Williams has been seeing twice as much time on court while entered in the doubles competition as well with sister Venus. The sibling duo won the doubles title on Friday.

Surprisingly enough, this will be the first Grand Slam final in which Henin and Williams have ever met each other. Despite that fact, the two have had numerous high-intensity clashes between them and it's fair to see these two are not exactly the best of friends. 

During a match at the 2003 French Open, with Williams leading 4-2, 30-love in the third set, Henin held up a hand to indicate she was not ready to receive serve. Distracted by the motion, Williams would drop the serve into the net. She would then proceed to lose the remaining four points in that particular game and eventually the match. Henin never indicated to the chair umpire that she made the gesture which would have allowed Serena to have another attempt at a first serve.

Afterwards, Williams said, "I was a little disappointed with her. It wasn't the turning point of the match, I should have still won the game. But to start lying and fabricating is not fair."

Fast forward now to 2010 and what exactly will it come down to between these two? Serena's big serve, Justin's elegant backhand, or will the winner be whoever is more mentally prepared on Saturday?

"Absolutely", Serena admitted in her most recent press conference. "I think that's a really good point. It definitely will be mental and who wants it more and wants the title more and who's willing to go the extra step."  

Henin echoed that sentiment, saying, "I think it's gonna be really mental. I mean, the one who will want it more will win probably. She served great, of course, in the last few matches, always on the important points. I know I'll have to be aggressive generally and use my qualities. I have the determination and the ambition, of course."

Any way you look at this match, I think it is almost a guarantee that it will go three sets. Williams leads their head-to-head meetings by a mere 7-6 margin. Emotional and physical fatigue could be a real issue for Serena while Henin on the other hand, cruised into the final with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Jie Zheng. The potential for a great match looms large here - let's hope it can live up to the much anticipated hype. 

Women's 2010 Australian Open Preview

By Mike McIntyre

When was the last time the women's game had this much depth? I'm not knocking the WTA Tour, which in fact has had more depth in recent years than the men's Federer vs. Nadal show. When I look at the Australian Open draw though, I'm just floored with the amount of talent out there. This is a fantastic way to kick-off the 2010 Grand Slam calendar.

The Favorites:

Number one ranked Serena Williams has a pretty sweet ride to the quarter-finals from the looks of it. I don't expect her to drop a set for the first week that's for sure. There's simply nobody in her section of the draw that can keep up with her power, experience and winning-attitude. If she truly did tweak something against Elena Dementieva in Sydney, this draw gives her some time before she has to bring out her 'A' game. Williams will be the favorite to add to her existing collection of four Aussie Open titles, the most recent being a year ago.

A nice third round match-up in the top-half could include Vera Zvonareva against Ana Ivanovic. Either one of these players could use a good Grand Slam showing to correct their career progress after a disappointing 2009. Zvonareva started strong in 2009 with a semi-final showing in Australia, but after missing two months in the middle of the year with injury she never returned to top form. Ivanovic's season was a total disaster and it was hard to believe she was ever the number one ranked player in the world. One of these two should still be able to push through to the quarters.

U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki has a great path to perhaps a semi-final berth in Australia. Only Daniela Hantuchova may cause her some trouble before the quarters, although Hantuchova has not had a big win in quite some time.

Wozniacki may meet the winner of an intriguing fourth round match between Americans Venus Williams and Melanie Oudin. A Williams/Oudin match would give tennis fans a nice glimpse of the past, present and future of American tennis and perhaps that future is now. Oudin has some winnable matches early on while Venus has looked mediocre since Wimbledon and as she approaches thirty, is only a huge threat on grass.  

In the bottom-half don't get your hopes up for second-seeded Dinara Safina. The mentally fragile Russian attained the number one ranking for a period of time in 2009, but will most be remembered for tanking in two Slam finals in Australia and Paris, along with a brutal defeat in the semi's at Wimbledon. A back injury hampered the last portion of her season and was acting up again at the start of 2010 to keep her out of Brisbane. Safina does not have enough match-play under her belt to be considered a major threat here in Australia nor is her mental game ready to compete in this first Slam of the season.

There are plenty of other top-level players ready to contend for the title in the bottom section of the draw however, and the Belgians are leading the charge. 

Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Yanina Wickmayer are all in the same quarter of the draw, which is unfortunate because they could all have easily advanced quite far given their play of late. Clijsters has the most favorable path and should get past Svetlana Kuznetsova to make the quarter-finals. A second-consecutive Slam is a distinct possibility for her.

Henin, entered as a wild card, is not going to enjoy the same Grand Slam return that Clijsters had at the U.S. Open. After a first round match with up and coming Sorana Cirstea, Henin will most definitely face fifth seeded Elena Dementieva - the same Dementieva who just won in Sydney defeating Serena in the finals. Henin leads their head-to-head battles 9-2, but will have to fight hard to beat the in-form Russian. I think Henin can beat Dementieva, but expecting her to have a similar Cinderella-run like Clijsters did in Flushing Meadows is unlikely.

The third Belgian, and the future of tennis in that country, Yanina Wickmayer, has already fought through three qualifying matches in order to secure entry into the tournament. Wickmayer was not allowed to take the 16th seeded spot that she is due because of the timing of her return from a mishandled doping violation. She may face Italian Flavia Pennetta in the second round and either Henin or Dementieva in the fourth round. Regardless of how she fares here in Australia, the twenty year old has a bright future ahead of her.

In the very last quarter of the draw we've got the unpredictable Jelena Jankovic. Fairing no better than the fourth round of any Slam in 2009, Jankovic has much to prove this year. She has a nice section of the draw and should stay untroubled until the quarter-finals. Don't expect her to move much farther than that however, as the Serbian is not the huge threat she used to be.

Do keep an eye on Maria Sharapova to have a big Aussie Open. The talented Russian has come back admirably from shoulder surgery last year and has the power game to defeat anyone on tour. If she can keep her serve consistent and free of double-digit double faults, then she is more than capable of winning this tourney. If she does come up against Safina in the round of sixteen, I see Sharapova advancing with ease. There are more Grand Slam titles within her and this could be the next one on her list. 

Anticipated First-Round Matches:

Kimiko Date-Krumm vs Yaroslava Shvedova: The 39 year old veteran Date-Krumm has been very impressive since returning to the tour in 2008 and has worked herself back into being a dangerous player to face. Her return is even more impressive given the fact she was away from the sport for twelve years. She'll face a difficult player in Shvedova, who impressed in the late stages of 2009 with victories over Daniela Hantuchova in Toronto and Jelena Jankovic at the U.S. Open.

Caroline Wozniacki vs Aleksandra Wozniak: It amazes me how often these two near-identical names get paired together in so many tournaments. Unfortunately for the Canadian Wozniak, it rarely ends up in her favor. The fourth seeded Wozniacki has won five of their six meetings although the pair have usually produced closely contested matches. Wozniak is ranked 34th in the world right now, so this is a fairly strong first rounder.

Jelena Dokic vs Alisa Kleybanova: While it was nice to watch Dokic have her fairy-tale run to the quarter-finals in last year's edition, the same fate will be difficult to duplicate. Dokic faces hard-hitting Russian Kleybanova whom she defeated here in the fourth round last year by a tight score of 7-5, 5-7, 8-6. Kleybanova's court movement is limited due to her stature, but she can really hit the ball and was able to defeat Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Jelena Jankovic (twice) in 2009.

 

 

The Year That Was: 2009 In Review

By Mike McIntyre

Another calendar year about to come to a close means that we can officially turn the page on another exciting year of professional tennis. Truly 2009 was not just an ordinary year in the history of the sport, but one that had fans and media alike talking tennis at great lengths over the past twelve months.

Tennis grabbed the headlines for a variety of reasons - some good, some bad - and captivated us from Rafael Nadal's first hard-court Grand Slam victory in January to Nikolay Davydenko's unlikely season-ending triumph at the Tour finals in November. In between we had a comeback like no other from Kim Clijsters in the summer and a meltdown from Serena Williams that made John McEnroe look like a saint. What about December you ask? Well hey, we have to give these guys a break sometime don't we?

With all the high's and low's from the past year it is difficult to focus on just a few, but some certainly stood out more than others.

Roger Federer's Achievements:

Up until the last Slam of the year in 2008, our boy Roger was getting a lot of flack from people about his performance on the court. No major titles to his credit, a thrashing by Rafa at Roland Garros and losing to the Spaniard again at Wimbledon did not bode well for his attempt at continued domination and his desire to topple the Grand Slam record held by Pete Sampras. Eventually he did win the U.S. Open to salvage some much needed respect and confidence - but could he maintain it in 2009?

Roger responded with authority by making all four Slam finals, finally breaking through at the French Open to complete his career-slam and re-taking Wimbledon in a match for the ages (yeah I know, we said that in 2008 too!) He broke Pete's record with his 15th major title and also celebrated the year in his personal life with a wedding and the arrival of twins.

He is arguably now the greatest player of all-time and whether he adds to his Slam-total or not, it will be a good while before we even think about his record being challenged. Despite not being named the AP athlete of the year, this guy is as classy a champion as we'll ever see. He is without a doubt, the tennis played of the year for 2009.

Serena Williams' Ups and Downs:

On the women's side the distinction of player of the year goes to Serena Williams. I'm not sure if the word 'classy' can be thrown in along with that, but her record at the majors was untouched. Slam victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, along with the season-ending championship in Qatar,' all cemented her status as world number one. And let's not forget her doubles accomplishments with sister Venus, as the duo won three Slams together and finished the year ranked third overall despite only entering six tournaments.

Negating some of the praise for her tennis achievements was the unfortunate meltdown in her semi-final match at the U.S. Open against Kim Clijsters. Her verbal assault towards a line-judge was completely unacceptable and brought all the wrong kind of attention to the sport in a match that should have been purely about two great and talented tennis players. Foot-fault or not, she was deducted a point according to the rules and as it was on match-point it ended up being the end of the contest.

Take away that one incident - if you can - and everyone would have been singing Serena's praises for such a fantastic year. Personally I think we can shrug off this ugly heat-of-the-moment outburst and look for Serena to let her play speak for itself in 2010.

Comebacks:

Big-name, small-name, older and younger, there were several notable comebacks in 2009. The most impressive no-doubt goes to a certain Belgian player named Kim Clijsters. Clijsters chose a difficult time of the year to return to professional tennis - halfway through the season - and knocked off some tough competition in her first two tournaments back. It was in her third tournament, at the U.S. Open however, that she really showed us what she could do. After more than two years away from the game, Clijsters knocked off both Williams sisters en-route to her second career Grand Slam title. Makes you wonder if a little time away from the game might help some other players seeking to win another major, doesn't it? 

Other returning players worth note include Taylor Dent on the men's side who overcame a potentially career-ending back injury to jump from 804 to 75 in the ATP rankings. It's nice to see the affable serve and volleyer back on the court after such a prolonged absence from the game.

Kimiko Date-Krumm showed us that age is but a number when she returned to the court at 38 years old and became the second-oldest player behind Billie Jean King to win a tour event.

Maria Sharapova returned from an injury to her shoulder that kept her away from the game for ten months. While her powerful groundstrokes remain a threat, her serve was a disappointment as she attempted to use an adjusted motion. If she can keep the number of double-faults to a minimum there is no reason why Sharapova cannot return to Grand Slam success. January will mark two years since her last major victory.

A final comeback worth noting is that of Justine Henin. While Henin has yet to play a competitive match, she made her announcement in 2009 and one cannot help but think the success of her fellow-Belgian Kim Clijsters was partially responsible. What a great boost to the women's game that is already thriving with plenty of big-name appeal.

Andre Agassi's Revelations:

When eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi left the game in 2006, he exited as a soft-spoken, elder-statesman of the tour and a highly respected ambassador of the sport. It was hard to remember him as the long-haired, Big-mac eating, rock-star Agassi of the 80s or the over-weight, sullen, challenger-level Agassi of 1997. Agassi's autobiography, Open, reminds us of these times and other dark moments in his tennis career that we never even imagined. 

Recreational drug-use, lies to Tour officials about dope tests, and a deep rooted hatred for the game were all shocking admissions that Agassi shares with his readers. How did Agassi's confession sit with his peers and his fans?

Some, like Martina Navratilova, were quick to condemn him, while others like Andy Roddick stood firm behind him. Most voiced their surprise and disappointment and some applauded his candor. While the manner in which Agassi came clean is somewhat less than perfect, his book sheds much insight into the tortured inner-feelings of one of the sport's more complex characters.

Many lessons can be learned from his writing such as the pressure tennis parents place on their children, the completely ineffective drug-testing policies the tour's adhere to and the ability to overcome adversity and triumph through hard work and determination. 

Israeli Tennis:

It was a year of major tennis accomplishments and disappointments for Israeli tennis players in 2009. The ugly side of sports emerged in February in the United Arab Emirates when politics and racism reared their head in a controversial decision that had everyone talking. Israeli top-forty player Shahar Peer was denied entry into the Emirates despite qualifying for direct entry into the tournament in Dubai. Tournament organizers hid their motives behind so-called fears of security concerns for Peer. In truth, this was just another example of a country that attempts to appear progressive displaying its shallow prejudice.

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour officials mistakenly allowed the tournament to continue despite Peer's exclusion. Fortunately the situation was corrected in time for the ATP event the following week with Andy Ram playing in the doubles draw. Despite Ram's entry, American Andy Roddick took a noble stand and refused to play due to the treatment of Peer. A nice gesture of solidarity on his part.

Just when that situation had resolved itself, Israel was once again in the middle of a controversy - this time in Malmo, Sweden, for a Davis Cup tie in early March. Player safety was again cited as the reason why the best-of-five tie would be played with no spectators in attendance. The controversial decision clearly did not help the favored Swedes, as Israel advanced with a surprise 3-2 victory.

Davis Cup would prove to be the saving grace for Israeli tennis in 2009, as the country would defeat a powerful Russian team to get to the semi-finals before bowing out against the eventual champions from Spain. With a roster compiled of unheralded journeymen such as Jonathan Erlich, Harel Levy, Andy Ram and Dudi Sela, Israel made it to their very first Davis Cup semi-final and shocked many along the way. After all of the sensational press they had received earlier in the year, it was a deserving, feel-good story for the Israelis. 

Other Noteable Events:

 - Rafael Nadal's first-ever loss at Roland Garros versus Robin Soderling. The most shocking loss of 2009 without a doubt and one that would greatly help Federer achieve his missing slam. 

 - Andy Roddick coming so close to winning his elusive second Grand Slam title. Boy did Andy ever take Roger into extra-innings at Wimbledon in June. He earned some much needed respect after that five set marathon.

 - Melanie Oudin's unexpected run at the U.S. Open where she made it to the quarter-finals. A nice shot-in-the-arm for American tennis that bodes well for the future.

 - Drug suspensions and subsequent reversals for Richard Gasquet, Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse. It is time for the ATP and WTA Tour's to conduct a serious review of how they handle positive drug tests. Gasquet's excuse that he ingested cocaine from a night-club encounter with someone's mouth just doesn't sit right.

 - The retirement of former Grand Slam champions Thomas Johansson, Amelie Mauresmo and Marat Safin as well as Fabrice "The Magician" Santoro and Ai Sugiyama.

Bizzare Ending Sends Clijsters to U.S. Open Final

By Mike McIntyre

Kim Clijsters remarkable comeback is one match away from her second Grand Slam title after defeating Serena Williams 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday night at the U.S. Open. While the probability of Clijsters immediately making the finals of a Grand Slam after more than two years away from the tour is hard to fathom, the controversy surrounding the ending of her match against Williams is just as astounding.

With Williams serving in the second set at 5-6, 15-30, the American was called for a foot-fault on her second serve giving Clijsters double-match point. After the call Williams understandably flipped her lid and unleashed a verbal barrage of expletives at the line judge responsible for the controversial call. The official immediately approached the chair umpire and tournament officials emerged onto the court. A code violation was subsequently issued against Williams and the final point of the match was thus given to Clijsters, handing her the win.

There are so many issues with this unlikely and unfortunate incident that I'm not quite sure where to start. I cannot recall a stranger turn of events in a big match at a Grand Slam. We're not talking Jeff Tarango in the third round at Wimbledon here. This is the semi-finals of a Slam with the defending champion involved and with the match on the line. Regardless of who was right or who was wrong, there must have been a more diplomatic way for this match to be decided.

To make matters worse, replays clearly show that Williams was not even close to foot-faulting. Both feet were still in the air when she made contact with the ball. This has to be one of the worst line calls of all time and while Serena may very well have lost the match without that controversial call, this is not how a match of this magnitude should end.

In her post-match press conference Williams was far calmer than she was on the court and acknowledged that her behavior was due to the intensity of the moment.

"No, I didn't threaten. I didn't say ‑‑ I don't remember anymore, to be honest. I was in the moment. And, you know, everyone's fighting for every point. It was a really crucial point, 15‑30, actually."

She also gave credit to her opponent and when asked if the result of the match was tainted she replied, "Well, I don't think it does. I think that Kim played really well, and I think she came out with a really big plan."

Clijsters was polite and respectful of the turn of events when she spoke following the match and admitted she was a little unsure of what just transpired.

"Yeah, I mean, it's unfortunate that a match that I was playing so well at to end that way. You know, obviously to this point I'm a little confused about what happened out there just because I was so focused."

While I wasn't privy to the exact words Williams used when speaking to the line judge, it must have been more than just your typical rant to result in Williams being docked match-point. It appears as though Williams did threaten the official in the heat of the moment. While such behavior cannot be tolerated, I can empathize with how the defending champ felt after that call was made. She was not entitled to act in that way, but I can see where the hasty reaction came from.

I realize that there are going to be wide-ranging opinions on how things unfolded on this night but I truly feel for both players. It's a shame Serena could not have ended the match on her own terms. As one of the greatest players of all time she deserved better than this. It is also regrettable that the wonderful story of Kim Clijsters' comeback and march to the U.S. Open final is going to be tarnished by this side-show.

Stay tuned everyone, there's plenty more to come from this story.