Serena Williams

“I actually forgot until the end when I was saying hi to my box. They’re like, ‘Hey, you’re No. 1.’ I was like, ‘Oh, yeah,’” she said.

Not that a number means everything.

“I always believe I’m the best, whether I’m No. 1 or 100,” she said. “Just having that extra bonus is pretty cool.”

Williams set aside a stylish black top to wear for the big occasion this time. In between the match, doping tests and media commitments, she changed into it.

“I always bring an outfit for the championships,” she said. “I always try to think positive, and I think it helps me be able to win.”

Good strategy Serena – congrats on #10!

Interview

But the real story of the 2009 Australian Open is Jelena Dokic. The 25-year-old Dokic’s dream run was cut short by No. 3 Safina but her epic bid to become an unlikely grand slam winner still reads like a fairytale.

When Jelena Dokic arrived in Melbourne Park a couple weeks ago, she was a wildcard entry seeded 187th. Nine days later, she strode out of the complex an Australian Open quarterfinalist ranked among the world’s top players. Dokic did not even have a racquet sponsor before the tournament, let alone anyone to dress her. She left with a A$182,500 check and sponsors falling at her feet.

Dokic hadn’t played on the tour at this level in many years, and she hadn’t played in a major for 5 1/2 years. Yet she became the first woman in history to play five consecutive three-set matches at the Australian Open. Dokic may have lost to Russia’s Safina, but she left her mark on the tournament and the women’s tour.

That Dokic could become the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open since Chris O’Neil in 1978 captured the imagination of an Australian public desperate for home success.

But more than national pride, the personal fortitude that Dokic exhibited during the tournament gained her legions of new fans.

Dokic first came to prominence when she knocked Martina Hingis out of Wimbledon 10 years ago. She rose to world No. 4 but then seemingly disappeared. After battling her way into this year’s Australian Open as a wildcard Dokic went public with her personal story. She poured out her heart describing her fight against depression and the break-up of her family brought on by the bizarre and volatile behaviour of her domineering father, Damir, who also served as her coach.

While Dokic always considered her mental toughness her greatest strength, she says her struggles with depression had transformed her into a cold-blooded tennis assassin.

Dokic senses she may now be better placed to fulfill her rich potential. Anyone who watched her at the Australian Open – including her highly ranked victims Caroline Wozniacki and Anna Chakvetadze as well as Safina – knows there’s little doubt Dokic will return next year an even more formidable opponent.

It certainly looks like happier days are ahead for Dokic and we can look forward to more tournaments where she can build on the progress established in Melbourne. The Cinderella story continues…

January 15, 2009

World number one Jelena Jankovic, who just recovered from a virus that forced her to withdraw from Sydney, is in the same half of the draw as her compatriot Ana Ivanovic as well as Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva.

After a stellar six month spell that seen her propel up the rankings to a career high of world No.2, Safina is now a genuine Grand Slam contender. She is currently the highest-ranked Russian from their army of players, which should give her added confidence.

Second seed Serena Williams could potentially face Beijing gold medalist and Sydney finalist Elena Dementieva, 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams along the way to her fourth championship AO match. The earliest the Williams sisters could meet is in the semifinals.

Toughest of the women’s first round matches sees No.11 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark play 2007 quarterfinalist Shahar Peer of Israel.

 View the complete Women’s Singles draw at the Australian Open website.

January 10, 2009

Belorussian Victoria Azarenka beat Marion Bartoli in the Brisbane International final to win her first WTA Tour title.

Slovakia claimed a surprise win over Russia’s Dinara Safina and brother Marat in the final of the Hopman Cup after winning both singles matches.

After crashing in the Brisbane quarterfinals, Ana Ivanovic is recovering from a stomach illness and resting up in Melbourne.

Elena Dementieva has won the ASB Classic womens singles final defeating Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-1 and achieving the 12th tournament title in her career.

Venus Williams hasn’t lost one singles match at the JB Group Classic in Hong Kong most recently beating Russian world number seven Vera Zvonareva. Williams’ win helped Team Americas claim victory over Team Russia in the JB Gold Group final and set her up nicely for the AO.

With the Australian Open just about a week away, record prize money has been approved for the Grand Slam winners.

January 5, 2009

The Australian Open kicks off January 19th and we hope to see Maria Sharapova defend her title after months of rehab for a bum shoulder. She recently pulled out of Hong Kong – a popular tune-up tourney for the AO but claims she’ll be ready for Melbourne.

Although Sharapova won’t be competing, a number of other players will be in Hong Kong including Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Sania Mirza each representing their region in team play.

World number one Jelena Jankovic should be feeling good – she just received her own star in the sky called JJ. It’s shining in the SC2 Hercules constellation of North polar region and was acquired by her sponsor Knjaz Milos and its brand Aqua Viva water who wanted to show how much they admire her.  JJ, as you remember, ended 2008 with the top ranking despite the fact that she didn’t win a Grand Slam title last year.

Also prepping for the Australian Open is top seed Ana Ivanovic who made her eagerly anticipated debut on Pat Rafter Arena for the first night session ever at the Queensland Tennis Centre. She’s been training in Australia for a couple of weeks but got off to a shakey start barely making it through the first round of the Brisbane International. Ivanovic reached the Australian Open final last season and held the No. 1 ranking for part of the year. In other first round Brisbane play, former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo narrowly beat Jelena Dokic 7-6 (9) 7-6 (5).

Who else is on the radar this Grand Slam season? Well this just may be the year for Dinara Safina. A break-out player of 2008, the Russian Safina ended the season at a career high WTA rank of #3. When she’s on, she’s unstoppable and when she’s not, she’s liable to either self-destruct or play some of the biggest come-back points you’ve ever seen.

Before the Australian Open begins, Safina is teaming up with her equally vitriolic brother, Marat Safin, for mixed doubles at Australia’s Hopman Cup. The dynamic brother-sister duo got off to a winning start downing Italy 2-1 on Sunday’s Session 2.

So, with all this activity, don’t despair that the holiday season is over. With tennis time here, there’s lots more happiness and good cheer.

December 30, 2008

Safina said: “It was my dream to play together with my brother one time and I always wanted to come here and play together.  I hope it is going to be fun for us.” Safin is known for his volatile temperament and although his sister is making a concerted effort to control her emotions on court, she said it was a shared family trait.

Safina had a poor start to 2008 and was a first-round loser to Hopman Cup rival Sabine Lisicki at the Australian Open. However, it is a different Safina almost 12 months on, winning four tournaments this year and reaching the French Open final.

With her growing confidence and improved fitness, Safina has set her sights on lasting into the second week of the Australian Open for the first time. She also hopes to complete a unique family double by claiming the top ranking in women’s tennis in 2009.

Should be a fun to watch – Safina is definitely on our list of players to keep an eye on next year – just wondering who will break more racquets during the tournament.

WNBA: No easy victories in the WNBA Playoffs.  Sue Bird scored 20 points, Sheryl Swoopes added 16, and the Seattle Storm beat the Los Angeles Sparks 64-50 Sunday to force a Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinal series. The final game in the best-of-three series will be played Tuesday in Seattle.

Tamika Catchings had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the Indiana Fever topped the Detroit Shock in overtime to force a third game in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Game 3 is Tuesday night in Auburn Hills.

In other playoff news, the Sacramento Monarchs and Connecticut Sun both forced a decisive game three on Saturday in their WNBA playoff series. The Monarchs easily topped the San Antonio Silver Stars 84-67 in the Western Conference playoffs, while the Sun withstood a late New York Liberty rally to win 73-70 in the Eastern Conference. Both of these series will be decided tonight.

Tennis:  Dinara Safina lost a total of just five games in the final two rounds of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, winning her fourth title of the year at the Tier I event. She defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. With the win, Safina moves up to #3 seed behind Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic.

Beach Volleyball: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won in Manhattan Beach for fourth straight time. The number one seeds finished the season with a two set victory over No. 4 seed Jennifer Boss and April Ross 21-18 and 21-16.  From Walsh heading to next week’s Glendale Open to try to become the Best of the Beach to May-Treanor starting competition on Dancing with the Stars, these two are ready to start the next chapters of their lives.

Track & Field:  Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper of the United States won the 100-meter hurdles in 12.56 seconds at the Golden Grand Prix in Shanghai. Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica won the women’s 100 in 11.01 and world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia won the pole vault at 15 feet 1 after three failed tries at 15-7.