December 11, 2009

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The dawn of a new tennis season means that preparations have reached their peak for the upcoming Aussie hard court swing which will culminate in mid-January with the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

Before the world’s best players arrive in Melbourne, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will make stops in Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart and Auckland, New Zealand for a stint of International Series warm up tournaments. In addition, many of the top players will forego Tour events and finalize their Australian Open preparations in a variety of exhibitions staged around the globe.

As has become the norm in recent Grand Slam history, the women’s draw at the Australian Open will once again be wide open. Sure, Serena Williams remains the woman to beat, but the defending champion will have to bring her ‘A’ game and then some if she hopes to win her third title in the last four years against one of the deepest fields ever.

Reigning U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, who will make her much-anticipated return to the Tour in Brisbane, will be looking to restore their Belgian supremacy and dethrone the queen of the sport. Let’s not forget that the last time Maria Sharapova faced the scorching Melbourne heat two years ago, she enjoyed arguably the most dominant tournament run of her career to capture her third Grand Slam title and went on a 17 match win streak to kick off her 2008 campaign. Perhaps a return to the scene of her last great triumph will be just what the doctor ordered. After ending their 2009 seasons on a sour note, can former finalists Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Safina rediscover their mojo to get themselves off on the right foot in 2010? Which of the rising stars on the cusp of greatness will breakthrough? Who of the lesser known players will make a name for themselves thanks to an improbable run that only dreams are made of?

Not only will these questions soon have answers, but in the process of finding the answers, fans are sure to witness moments that will go down in history and perhaps even change the course of women’s tennis forever.