Russian women continue to dominate the ladies WTA tour rankings. Will North America have any representation when the Williams sisters retire? Is this a statement about US Tennis? Kim Clijsters fared well considering playing in only 4 tournaments.

Oh, de ironie. Voor een groot deel van het jaar is het vrouwentennis belachelijk gemaakt, vanwege het feit dat Dinara Safina de nummer één van de wereld was, zonder dat ze een Grand Slam-titel had gewonnen. Dat terwijl nummer twee Serena de Australian Open en Wimbledon in haar zak had zitten. Maar wat leert de huidige ranglijst bij de mannen ons?

Arme Dinara. Waar ze ook kwam in de zomer, steeds weer werd ze lastig gevallen door journalisten met die ene vraag. “Voel je je wel de echte nummer één?” Safina werd er gek van (daar is niet veel voor nodig voor een familielid van Marat…) en ging onderdoor aan de druk. Op Roland Garros gebeurde het al, toen Safina net de nummer één-positie in handen had. Ze domineerde twee weken lang in Parijs, tot ze in de finale compleet verstijfde tegen landgenote Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Safina beleefde weinig plezier aan haar tijd als nummer 1

Toen kwam Wimbledon, waar Safina in de halve eindstrijd werd vernietigd door Venus Williams. Safina deed de geloofwaardigheid van haar topklassering weinig goeds, door slechts één game te pakken tegen de oudste Williams. Ze werd uitgelachen vanwege haar karrevracht aan dubbele fouten.

En Serena Williams zat ondertussen maar te lachen. “Tja, we weten allemaal wel wie écht de beste is”, sprak ze tijdens een persconferentie.

Maar alsof dat alles nog niet genoeg vernedering was voor de arme Russin, verloor Safina op de US Open al in de derde ronde van de laagvlieger Petra Kvitova.

Om haar seizoen echt in stijl af te sluiten, vloog Safina er in haar laatste twee reguliere toernooien nog eens uit tegen de nummers 132 en 226 van de wereld. Tijdens de WTA Championships gaf ze er al na twee games de brui aan tegen Jelena Jankovic met een rugblessure.

Maar pfoe! Gelukkig won Serena Williams ook het eindejaarskampioenschap in Doha en nam ze daarmee op de valreep toch nog de nummer één plek over van Safina. De vrouwentour was gered.

Tja en dan staat daar tegenover het florerende mannencircuit, waar Rafael Nadal en Roger Federer al jarenlang de dienst uitmaken aan de top van de wereldranglijst, en waar niemand de laatste vijf jaar ook maar heeft getwijfeld aan de credibiliteit van de toppositie. Federer was van 2004 tot en met 2007 de onbetwiste nummer één, net als Nadal dat in 2008 was en Federer opnieuw in 2009.

Nadal zou zomaar de nummer 1 van 2009 kunnen worden

Ho eens even. Wat valt ons op wanneer we de ranking van deze week erbij pakken? De voorsprong van Federer op zijn naaste belager Nadal is minder dan 1.000 punten, voorafgaand aan de ATP World Tour Finals in Londen van volgende week. De Zwitser heeft daarbij nog 200 punten te verdedigen van zijn optreden bij het eindejaarskampioenschap in Shanghai van vorig seizoen, tegenover de lege 0 van Nadal.

De winnaar in Londen kan tot 1.500 punten voor de wereldranglijst verdienen (wanneer hij ongeslagen het toernooi wint). Elke overwinning in de groepsfase is goed voor 200 punten.

Federer maakte onlangs een slordige indruk in de finale van zijn thuistoernooi in Basel, waar hij verloor van Novak Djokovic, terwijl de vijftienvoudig Grand Slam-kampioen afgelopen week in Parijs al na één duel zijn koffers kon pakken.

Nadal profiteerde van de verrassende overwinning van Julien Benneteau op zijn rivaal door de halve finale te halen. De Spanjaard kende een stroef begin van de week (Nadal overleefde vijf matchpoints tegen Nicolas Almagro in de openingsronde en zag Tommy Robredo serveren voor de wedstrijd in zijn tweede partij) maar liet in zijn kwartfinaleduel tegen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga voor het eerst sinds het voorjaar weer wat van zijn beste tennis zien.

Een ontketende Novak Djokovic weerhield Nadal van een finaleplaats, maar wanneer hij zijn stijgende lijn in vorm doortrekt naar de O2-Arena, is er geen enkele reden waarom Nadal niet kan strijden voor de titel in Londen, en daarmee de nummer één-positie van Federer aan kan vallen.

Ziet u het al voor zich? Roger Federer die in het jaar waarin hij zijn career Grand Slam bereikt met het winnen van Roland Garros, en het Grand Slam-record van Pete Sampras breekt op Wimbledon, alsmede de US Open en Australian Open finales haalt, het seizoen afsluit als nummer twee van de wereld? En dat zelfs terwijl Nadal maandenlang geblesseerd is geweest en Wimbledon heeft moeten missen. Wat zouden Dinara en Serena lachen.

Foto’s © Niels de Water

Now that the WTA season is over and the ladies are resting up for Australia, I thought it was time to look ahead and give my predictions for 2010. 2009 was a drama filled year and I expect even more next year. Players will be “ranked” according to what I think their year-end ranking will be for 2010.

1. Serena Williams – Even with the return of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, I don’t expect anyone to take over the top spot from Serena and expect her to win at least two Slams for 2010.

2. Caroline Wozniacki - “Sunshine” as she’s known on the tour will have another consistent year and will find herself in another Slam final. If she can win a big one remains to be seen but it will be hard to bet against her next year. Conditioning and her excessive match play may hurt her down the road.

3. Dinara Safina – A lot depends on Safina’s current back injury and her mental toughness for 2010. I can see her in a Slam final but she will have to dismiss whatever demons she has in order to make it back to the top spot.

4. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Despite her mental flaws, “Sveta” will always be a factor in 2010 and will probably make it to another Slam final. If she wins a Slam next year is entirely up to her. Watch out for her at the Australian Open as she finished 2010 in good shape healthwise.

5. Venus Williams – 2010 will be the last chance at glory for Venus as she turns 30 this year. Aside from Wimbledon, she’s not been a factor for a while at the other Slams and her knee could be a big issue. Plus the fact that no one tour is afraid of playing her could may next year very tough.

6-9. These slots will change depending on the names, i.e. Jelena Jankovic, Victoria Azarenka, Elena Dementieva, etc. They could breakthrough and win a Slam, but let’s face it, shouldn’t they have done so already?

10. Kim Clijsters – Everybody keeps salivating over Henin’s return but Clijsters, who played lights out tennis at the U.S. Open, will still go into every tournament with nothing to lose and thus no pressure. I expect Kimmie to be a factor in Australia and a heavy favorite at the U.S. Open again.

Wildcards – Justine Henin will be the story at the Australian Open win or lose. It will all depend on her draws and I actually think the clay court season is where she will find the most success. She has more to lose than Kim Clijsters in her comeback so a Slam victory in 2010 is paramount.

Sam Stosur – Stosur finally won a WTA event in ‘09 and will probably break into the top 10 next year. She’s got the game to win a big one, maybe even Wimbledon, but does she believe she can win is the question.

Maria Sharapova – Sharapova is finally getting back on track after a rocky 2009. If her serve starts clicking again, she could be a factor but probably not until Wimbledon.

Ana Ivanovic – 2010 will define Ivanovic’s entire career. If she can get over her mental and physical fatigue, she could work her way back into the top ten again. If she can’t, I could see her retiring early. Hope I’m wrong.

Melanie Oudin - Next year will be the real test for the feisty American to prove the U.S. Open run was no fluke. I definitely see her in the top 20 before too long. Perhaps the French Open will be her next surprise Slam as she says she likes the clay?

Amelie Mauresmo - There’s been no word yet on Mauresmo’s potential retirement but even if she decides to stick it out, 2010 will probably be her last year. Maybe she will finally go for broke and play with nothing to lose? If so, we could be in for a real treat.

Let me know what you think!

De WTA Championships in Doha van afgelopen week leken meer op een variant van Domino D-Day dan een eindejaarskampioenschap waar de beste speelsters ter wereld samenkwamen en, in theorie, met schitterend tennis het seizoen ten einde zouden moeten brengen.

Stuk voor stuk vielen ze om met blessures: Nummer één van de wereld Dinara Safina speelde slechts twee games, toen ze in tranen haar wedstrijd tegen Jelena Jankovic op moest geven vanwege een rugblessure. Haar vervanger Vera Zvonareva was al geblesseerd aan haar enkel en trok zich na één wedstrijd ook terug uit het toernooi.

De doorgaans goedlachse Wozniacki had flink wat pijn te verbijten

Toen mocht tweede reserve en tevens gehandicapte Agnieszka Radwanska – De Poolse ondergaat deze week een operatie aan haar pols – opdraven voor het derde groepsduel, ook al was ze kansloos voor plaatsing voor de halve eindstrijd. Radwanska, vorig jaar tevens invaller op de Championships, zag Victoria Azarenka afhaken in de derde set met kramp en daarmee strijkte ze toch nog $100.000 aan winstpremie op. Met haar overwinning hielp ze daarnaast vriendin Caroline Wozniacki aan een plaats bij de laatste vier, maar de Deense mankeerde ook van alles en nog wat.

De nummer vier van de wereld begon het toernooi al met blessures aan een buikspier en hamstring, en kreeg in haar tweede groepsduel tegen Zvonareva ook nog te maken met  krampaanvallen. In de laatste game van die partij stortte Wozniacki ter aarde na het missen van een forehand, en lag ze huilend en schokkend op het centre court. Wonderbaarlijk genoeg wist ze de game – en daarmee de wedstrijd – toch nog te winnen. Huilend van de pijn sjokte ze na afloop naar het net om de verbijsterde Zvonareva, die in de tweede set zélf nog in tranen uitbarstte, de hand te schudden.

In haar derde groepswedstrijd tegen Jankovic liep Wozniacki als gevolg van haar fysieke mankementen tegen een ruime nederlaag aan en uiteindelijk moest ze haar halve eindstrijd tegen Serena Williams staken na het verliezen van de eerste set. Niet dat Williams nou fris en fruitig erbij liep op de baan. Haar linker dijbeen was flink ingetaped en bij het handen schudden aan het net riep de Amerikaanse nog naar Wozniacki: “Volgens mij zijn we allebei geblesseerd.” Maar er was slechts beperkt reden tot paniek voor Serena, want in de finale moest ze het opnemen tegen haar zus Venus, die.. jawel.. kampte met een knieblessure.

Ook Serena kampte in Doha met een blessure

De oudste Williams mazzelde in de groepsfase, want omdat de al uitgeschakelde – maar fitte - Svetlana Kuznetsova in de poule won van haar - fitte – landgenote Elena Dementieva, mocht Venus door naar de halve finales met één overwinning en twee nederlagen. Ze eindigde gelijk met beide Russinnen, maar had de beste setbalans.

En zo lagen de enige twee compleet fitte speelsters van het toernooi er in de groepsfase uit (Jankovic, de vierde halve finaliste, had een lichte polsblessure).

Omdat Jankovic al heel het seizoen last heeft van een chronisch gebrek aan zelfvertrouwen, liet ze Venus ontsnappen in de halve finales en kregen we in de finale de tweede Sister Act van de week. In de groep was het Serena die in een spannende, maar kwaliteitsarme driesetter wist te winnen.

De eindstrijd werd er niet memorabeler op. Zeker in de eerste set leek het erop dat beide zussen hadden afgesproken alleen vanuit stilstand te tennissen. Elke bal die ook maar enigszins de hoek in werd geslagen, werd door geen van beide speelsters achterna gelopen.

Nadat de spieren wat waren opgewarmd werd de tweede set wat aantrekkelijker om naar te kijken, maar de 6-2 7-6(4) overwinning van Serena leverde nooit het schouwspel op wat je mag verwachten van twee speelsters die bij elkaar goed zijn voor 18 Grand Slam-titels.

“We waren allebei absoluut niet 100 procent fit vandaag”, sprak de winnares na afloop. “Ik voel op dit moment overal pijn in mijn lichaam.”

Niet dat Serena verder zal klagen. Het is pas de tweede keer in haar carrière dat ze de WTA Championships weet te winnen, en als beloning neemt ze ook nog de nummer één-ranking mee uit Doha. En misschien een EHBO-kitje.. als die al niet uitverkocht waren.

Foto’s © Niels de Water

Dinara Safina posing for Harper's Bazaar Russia, wearing Balmain.

Tennis pro Dinara Safina ike we usually don’t see her – striking a pose for the November issue of Harper’s Bazaar Russia. Go Dinara, you look amazing! Click here to check out Dinara in black dress by Helmut Lang, and here for another snapshot.

So when can we expect to see Caroline Wozniacki in the Danish glossy fashion magazines?

Whatever you think of Venus and Serena Williams their dominance in the world of female tennis over the last ten years cannot really be disputed, remarkable considering their background and what they have had to contend with.

As another season drew to a close yesterday in Doha, the sisters contested yet another final against each other, their 22^nd to be exact, with Serena ending big sis Venus’ s reign to become the winner.

With this they helped to cement their place as not only two of the greatest players of their generation, but two of the greatest players of all time.

If you feel like the Williams’ have been around forever you would be right; Venus turned pro in 1994 and Serena in 1995.

But when they burst onto the scene in their brightly coloured, daring outfits and beaded hair many thought that their careers would be short lived.

Venus (right) and Serena (left) often play doubles together too (c) Galawebdesign 2009

Their array of other interests outside the tennis world has always been widely documented. Venus’s love of fashion and design and Serena’s passion for music and acting, many thought would have lured them away from the courts long before now.

However they are still here. And whatever the rankings may have been over the years, (Serena is currently placed at number one following her recent victories, Venus six) they have flown through most of the major tournaments uncontested.

All I can say is that scarily they could have potentially been even better if they had dedicated all their energy into the game.

Other Contenders

There were some Belgians who took charge for a bit but then retired. Perhaps their recent return to the game will once again add a new dynamic to the women’s game.  A dynamic which has certainly been much needed over the last couple of years.

There have been other challengers too, mainly from the East, to the Williams ascendency. Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and most recently Dinara Safina have all been privileged enough to hold the number one ranking spot over the years, only to be dethroned shortly after.

None have been more controversial than Safina, who has failed on countless occasions in the later stages of major tournaments to affirm her ability. It is baffling to many how on earth she managed to stay at the top for so long.

Not only have these girls not left an impression on the game, to me it seems as if they have also not had much of a lasting effect on the public.

Ok so many fans have not exactly become enamoured by the play or personality of the Williams sisters either, but at least people can remember their names and know what they look like.

The rest of the players have in the eyes of many merged into one. The average tennis fan would probably struggle to put a face to a Caroline Wozniacki or a Vera Zvonareva, just two of the other names in the ever changing women’s top ten.

Williams vs Williams

The final of the season ending tournament in Doha yesterday was another one of those sister against sister battles, where you wonder what on earth is going on in the minds of their nearest and dearest.

When it looked more and more likely that this year’s Wimbledon final would once again be between Venus and Serena, there were audible groans from some of my family members.

“Oh it’s not going to be them two again is it? Oh dear that’s boring! They don’t play each other properly” they said.

I argued to the contrary, getting quite fired up and argumentative as I do when I am interested in something, jumping to the defence of another all Williams final.

For one thing I don’t for a second believe the allegations of match fixing that have clouded any match they have ever played.

More importantly for me if it hadn’t been them, who else?  That’s when things would have got boring.

During this years’ Wimbledon I was literally sat on the edge of my seat as Serena fought back from the jaws of defeat to beat Elena Dementieva in the semi final.

I have nothing against Dementieva, but she is the nearly woman of female tennis. A Dementieva Williams final or one featuring Dinara Safina, even if she was ranked number one at the time, would not have had the same ring to it, and would probably have not gone down in the history books.

I can’t really argue that any of the Williams’ finals will go down in history for their great tennis, but they will always be memorable all the same.

In the future I imagine that the BBC pundits will sit in the studio talking about the great Williams Wimbledon era.

Venus is after all a five times winner, Serena a 3 times winner and much more impressively only one out of the last ten finals has not featured at least one of the sisters. The facts, as they say, speak for themselves.

So, it is generally accepted that both will enter the record books as two of the most successful female tennis players of all time. Little sister Serena is just in the lead in the sisters head to head with a 12-10 advantage at the moment. But it is for them to decide who will ultimately finish on top.

I hope they stick around for some while to come yet and we can continue to watch them making history. At least until some credible contenders come along to take over…

Your YEC 2009 semifinalists, ladies and gentlemen:

Check the poll. We’re mainly idiots.

JJ was the second to secure her place after beating Wozniacki – who was, let’s face it, not in great shape – 62 62. Venus followed, in the sense of not really doing very much, when an on-form Kuznetsova demolished Dementieva 63 62. I thought Kuznetsova, with her usual finely-honed sense of timing, played fantastic tennis to win, but I feel bad for Dementieva, who worked so hard to get her win over Venus. Regardless, on Venus goes to face JJ tomorrow.

The final semifinalist wasn’t decided until the last match of the day, which lived up to expectations in the most soul-crushing way possible. After playing an excellent first set to win 64, and going 52 up in the second, Victoria Azarenka … well, she did what Victoria Azarenka increasingly does in that situation. She lost. She served for the match twice and simply couldn’t get it done, ending up edged out of the second 57. At which point I turned off the TV (or at least flipped over to Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two). I simply couldn’t bear to watch the predictable third set implosion (and I wanted to see how Phil Tufnell was coming along with the tango). Hence I did not see Azarenka go 1-4 down, nor her subsequent retirement with cramps. (But I can tell you that I have doubts about Tufnell’s ability to conjure up the requisite staccato footwork, flexed knees and general dramatic aggression which will be necessary in a week 7 tango).

Weirdly, my first reaction to seeing that she had retired with cramps was relief; at least it wasn’t that (or not purely that) she had completely fallen to pieces mentally. Then I thought about it a bit and that relief died a quick and yet oddly painful death. The simple fact is that she shouldn’t have been in a third set at all. I don’t want to take anything away from Radwanska, who I thought played well throughout, but I didn’t see her raising her level significantly to take the second set; I saw Azarenka’s level plummeting like a bowl of goldfish dropped from a spire to smash on a cathedral floor, to paraphrase Douglas Coupland. And then once again on finding herself in a third set, she began to struggle both physically and emotionally.

So I’ve thought about it and I think Azarenka’s first priority should be conditioning, because I’m having serious doubts about her fitness and heat-tolerance. Maybe training in Minsk and then coming to play in heat and humidity has something to do with it, or am I completely mad? (Third possibility: I’ve got my hemispheres entirely wrong and it’s summer in Minsk). I genuinely think that developing her stamina to the point where she knows she can last three tough sets would do wonders for her mentality and prevent that element of increasing desperation from creeping into her game as she nears the business end of the match. I know that approach has sometimes proved to be a double-edged sword for Murray, but I think Azarenka has good aggressive instincts, when they’re not drowned out by the howling chorus of demons busily shredding her psyche before her eyes. Anyway, that’s what I think. And god knows I need her to do something to break this pattern, otherwise I may die choking on my own rage by this time next year. I say that out of love, Victoria.

Anyway. Not to sound rampantly insincere, but congratulations to all the semifinalists. No, I really almost mean that. No, I do. It’ll be interesting to see which JJ and which Venus come out to play; I’m betting Tuesday’s JJ against Thursday’s Venus. Draw your own conclusions. And I’m tempted to point out how far Wozniacki will get against Serena with a 1 mph serve, but hey, apparently the stroke of death is as a lover’s pinch for the gritty, glamorous Dane (as I understand we’re now referring to her). So who knows what will happen there? (I’m pretty sure we all do.)

As for the rest … thanks for playing, ladies.

Tournament organizers in doubt about how to stage a draw ceremony can now use the 2009 SEWTA Tour Championships as a reference.

They dolled up the ladies, threw them in the Museum of Islamic Art, and snapped away. The results? Venus gets our vote for “Best Style”, Elena gets “Most Glam”, and we are all about Azarenka’s big bow. (Is that you, Blake Lively?)

Who was your fave?

Up close: Pics of each lady after the cut.

(images via Getty)

Danimarkalı 19 yaşındaki tenisçi Wozniacki sakatlıktan ağlayarak oynadığı maçta 25 yaşındaki Zvonareva’yı yenmeyi başardı. Tek bayanlarda dünyanın ilk 8 tenisçisinin mücadele ettiği ve adını Katar’ ın başkenti Doha’ dan alan Doha Tenis Turnuvası’nın üçüncü gününe müthiş bir başarı öyküsü damga vurdu. Bayanlarda dünyanın 1 numarası olarak Doha’ya gelen Dinara Safina’ nın önceki gün sakatlanıp çekilmesi üzerine turnuvaya katılan Rus raket Vera Zvonareva ile karşılaşan Caroline Wozniacki dün gece inanılmaz bir maç çıkardı. Sol ayağında oluşan krampa ve maç boyu çektiği acıya rağmen Danimarkalı tenisçi, Zvonareva’yı 6-0, 6-7 (3) ve 6-4′lük setlerle 2-1 mağlup etti. 19 yaşındaki tenisçi maç sırasında zaman zaman acıdan yerde kalırken, son vuruşunun sayı olması ve yarı finale kalmasının ardından hüngür hüngür ağladı. Wozniacki’nin mücadelesini Doha’daki tenisseverler ayakta alkışladı. Mücadele isteğini her zaman saygı ile karşılamışımdır. Yolun açık olsun Wozniacki !

Singles – Round Robin (REVISED)

Centre Court (from 17.00hrs)
1. Caroline Wozniacki vs. Jelena Jankovic
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Elena Dementieva
3. Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Victoria Azarenka

* Radwanska replaces Zvonareva (right ankle injury)

Latest Results  – Thursday, October 29, 2009
Round Robin

WHITE GROUP
(4) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (9) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 60 67(3) 64

MAROON GROUP
(2) Serena Williams (USA) d. (5) Elena Dementieva (RUS) 62 64
(7) Venus Williams (USA) d. (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 62 67(3) 64

ROUND ROBIN GROUP STANDINGS
(match won/lost : set won/lost)
White Group
1. Caroline Wozniacki (2-0 : 4-2)
2. Victoria Azarenka (1-1 : 3-2)
3. Jelena Jankovic (1-1 : 2-2)
4. Agnieszka Radwanska (0-0 : 0-0)

OUT Vera Zvonareva (0-1 : 1-2) (right ankle injury)
OUT Dinara Safina (0-1 : 0-2) (low back injury)

Maroon Group
1. Serena Williams (3-0 : 6-1)
2. Elena Dementieva (1-1 : 2-3)
3. Venus Williams (1-2 : 4-5)
4. Svetlana Kuznetsova (0-2 : 1-4)

==========

Results : Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Singles – Round Robin
WHITE GROUP
(4) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (6) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 16 64 75
(8) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (1) Dinara Safina (RUS) 11 ret. (low back injury)

MAROON GROUP
(2) Serena Williams (USA) d. (7) Venus Williams (USA) 57 64 76(4)

102909 / SonyEricssonChampionship-Doha

So Vera Zvonareva’s journey to the WTA Season Finale in Doha was almost like a chapter out of “Cinderella”.

She barely missed the final eight cut when she lost early in Moscow. However, being in the top ten she was invited as an alternate which meant she couldn’t dress up for the “royal ball” like the other “stepsisters”.

However when the “queen” of the ball aka Dinara Safina couldn’t fulfill her duties, Zvonareva now had a chance.

Zvonareva’s fairy tale almost came true today as she was down a set and a break to Caroline Woznicaki, but managed to fight her way back into a third set before losing 0-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.

Even if she can win her next match and go 1-1, it’s unlikely she can advance to the semifinals, unless another miracle occurs.

But of course we’ve seen miracles aplenty this year on the women’s tour, so anything is possible.

Doha Dust: The biggest news out of Doha today was that Dinara Safina withdrew from the event with a back injury. She was tied 1-1 in the first set with Jelena Jankovic when she pulled out, and now she is in doubt for the Australian Open in January. Let the debate begin… who had the more devastating end to the year: Safina or Ana Ivanovic? Too close to call.

Doha Dust (pt 2): The (good) news out of Doha today was the the Williams sisters put on another masterful show, Serena beating Venus 7-6 in the third set in what was a tense, tight battle, that included a saved match point. That ups Serena to 2-0 in round robin play, while Venus falls to 0-2 (she lost in three to Elena on day one).

Andre’s Book Deal is Crackin’: There is plenty of buzz around the November 9th release of Andre Agassi’s autobiography, “Open: An Autobiography“. It was revealed yesterday that Agassi admits to using crystal meth in 1997 in the book, during the low point of his tennis career. It was also leaked today that the now-father talks of the abuse of his own dad. Gotta buy us a copy of that one, eh?

‘10 Bucks: Things are looking good for the US Open come 2010. The year’s final Slam signed a partnership with the car company Mercedes-Benz to be the tournament’s presenting sponsor on the men’s side and the offish vehicle of the tourney. A lucrative deal like this one the Open struck with Mercedes is hard to come by these days, so a big thumbs up to the Flushing Meadows event and tennis in gengen. We’re so popular.

Mother Mary of the Silver Screen: We never thought we would be praising Mary Carillo, but we’re about to do just that. The always-painful commentator was pleasantly hilarious in this mockumentary, which features comedian Paul Mecurio as a part of his web series for HBO Sports. “Our breasts would compromise our backswings.” Hil-ar, Mare. We loves it.

Good Angle: We also loved this writing, from TennisWeek.com this past week. Chris Oddo penned a lengthy piece on Juan Martin Del Potro being the tallest Grand Slam winner ever and how his rise to new heights might be a sign of bigger (and taller) things to come.

(screen grab via you tube.)

Agonising day of tennis in Doha today. I think I went off tennis altogether, and I only watched two matches.

Caroline Wozniacki (4) d. Victoria Azarenka (6) 16 64 75

Just thinking about this match makes me want to kill myself. But let’s get this out of the way: hugely impressive win by Wozniacki. There is no way she should have won that match, and they should invent a new word to describe how mentally tough she is. OK? I also noticed some stuff in her game – specifically, her ability to generate pace off her forehand when she’s given time on the ball – which I’ve not seen before. Which was very good. Or whatever.

That being said, there was pretty much no excuse for Azarenka losing this match. Don’t get me wrong, I love her (hence the *pain* of it all). But this was yet another of those matches that shows how far she has to go. She played a brilliant first set, very calm, very cool, showing a nice blend of patience and aggression, and completely shut Wozniacki out of it. Which is how it should have gone on. But something happened in the second set – I don’t know what – but she lost it. Instead of dictating points and opening up her court with the forehand, she started more or less pushing it in, giving Wozniacki (who has a hamstring injury, let’s not forget) acres of time to set up for her shots, which allowed the Dane to dominate play. I mean, Wozniacki actually had more winners. You can’t tell me that’s right.

I was hoping the ten-minute heat break after the second set would let Azarenka get herself together, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. She was visibly struggling with the conditions, and although she broke Wozniacki every time she served for most of the set – sometimes to love, and often playing quite brilliantly to do so – she simply couldn’t hold serve herself. Often she worked the point nicely, set herself up – and then made a hash of what should have been an easy winner. She even had the chance to receive it out at 5-4, and of course that would be the first time Wozniacki held serve in the set. There was an air of inevitability after that, and when she smacked a ball out of the stadium and then smashed her racquet when she went break point down, with the resulting code violation costing her her serve, that was it.

The more I think about it (and certain aspects of Azarenka’s bone-headed play will be flashing before my eyes every time I close them until I’m ninety), the more I think that this match really came down to confidence. Azarenka has had a poor second half of the year, ever since being demolished by Serena in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, while Wozniacki has won an absurd number of matches this year. It showed. Not that that’s an excuse. Not that there really are any excuses for a loss like that. Yuck. Azarenka is in the dog house with me.

Jelena Jankovic (8) d. Dinara Safina (1), 1-1 (ret.)

“What, is her last name Jankovic? Oh.”

Sad sad scenes as Dinara Safina was forced to retire at 15-40 down in her second service game with a back injury she’s been suffering from for some time:

“I’ve been playing on in pain, on anti-inflammatories, on everything. It’s been about three months. My body just gave up.

“I did everything possible to play here. I went yesterday to put injections, cortisone, but I could not handle this pain any more.

“I think I should have taken a break after the US Open but I was chasing this number one, so I was fighting with my body.

“Maybe I had to stop after the US Open.”

[...] “It’s under question the beginning of next year,” she said. “When I speak to the doctors it doesn’t sound so nice. So it’s possible that I might not be 100 percent fit for the Australian Open. Maybe I’ll have to skip it.”

“At this stage my health is more important. Until I recover fully, until my back is recovered and I can feel that I have no pain, no fear, then I’ll not play.

“Definitely there is no surgery. It’s just time. This is going to be a very long procedure.”

Presumably, Vera Zvonareva will be tapped as first alternate. It’s a truly low note to end a season which, with all its tribulations, has been a career-best for Dinara and pretty amazing by anyone’s standards. Major, major sad face.

Serena Williams (2) d. Venus Williams (7), 57 64 76(4)

I was too depressed after the aforementioned two matches to watch this. All I can say is that I’m surprised it went to three after watching their first matches, and that Serena now presumably has a lock on the year end no. 1 spot and a semifinal place in Doha. Oh, and that Venus presumably won’t get out of the round-robin stage.

Anyone have any thoughts on this one?

1. El clásico costarricense entre Saprissa y Alajuelense, fue suspendido, ya que la Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS) cerró el reducto morado por la deuda que el club tiene con esta entidad.
2. En la Copa del Rey, el Alcorcón de la tercera división española goleó 4-0 al Real Madrid en casa, en el partido de ida por la primera ronda de la competición.
3. Los partidos Turquía vs Costa Rica, Colombia vs Irán y Nueva Zelanda vs Burkina Faso; del Mundial sub 17 disputado en Nigeria fueron interrumpidos en varias ocasiones por la lluvia. El partido entre turcos y costarricenses fue el único que no terminó y mañana se jugará completo.
4. La NBA dio inició el día de ayer y los actuales campeones L.A. Lakers recibieron los anillos de campeón de la temporada pasada. El resultado fue L.A. Lakers 99 – 92  L.A. Clippers en el Staples Center.
5. Hoy comienza la serie mundial de la MLB en el nuevo Yankee Stadium en Nueva York.
6. Stuttgart y Borussia Dortmund fueron eliminados por equipos de segunda división en la Copa Alemana.
7. Dinara Safina recuperó el número 1 del mundo en la WTA.

Day 2 in Doha wasn’t as exciting. Or maybe it’s just me since I only saw the Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic 10-minute hit.

Image via Getty

According to my Twitter dashboard, the match between Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka brought some type of excitement. Not that Caro’s game is ever exciting. I like the girl a lot but I can’t say the same about her playing style. Nevertheless, she defeated Vika 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a match that lasted almost 3 hours.

Vika had a match point sometime during that 3 hours and couldn’t convert. I’m going to guess it was when she was up 5-4 in the third. Then, at one point went ballistic and was awarded a code violation. I give credit to Caro for hanging in there. Keep pushing, Sunshine.

Image via AP

Now, this match I saw and I can tell you that Dinara Safina gave the match to Jelena Jankovic. Dina had to retire in the third game with a back injury. She has officially pulled out of the tournament and will be replaced by Vera Zvonareva.

Image via Getty

Serena Williams defeated her big sister, Venus Williams, in their RR match 5-7, 6-4, 7-6.

In a must win match for Vee, she, just like yesterday, looked to be in good position for a solid victory after winning the first set. She then drops the second set and we all know it can only be trouble for her after that.

Dinara Safina in Tears at Doha (AP)

Well now we know the cause of Dinara Safina’s “misery tour” which began this summer on the hard courts and ended with the world number one in tears at the WTA Finale at Doha.

After her retirement to Jelena Jankovic in their opening round match, Safina announced that she would not continue play at the Doha event due to a severe back injury she has battled for the last three months. Safina said her lower back was almost “fractured”, but didn’t say what was the cause. Safina tried taking cortisone injections this week to deal with the pain but it didn’t work.

Doctors have now advised Safina to take the next six weeks off and that appearing at the 2010 Australian Open is in jeopardy.

This is truly bad news for Safina who endured criticism the whole year not being worthy of her top ranking. It’s hard to say if the back injury was the cause of her many early round losses this summer, but one would think it was a major factor. The other issue is why did Safina not take time off after the U.S. Open and skip Asia rather than risk marring her 2010 schedule? And what about her coach Zeljko Krajan who has endured criticism himself for being too tough on Safina and not looking out for her best interest?

It’s unclear if Safina’s withdrawal will allow one of the alternate players, Agnieska Radwanska or Vera Zvonareva into the main draw. With Safina’s loss, Serena Williams will finish the year at No. 1. She clinched the top spot after winning an epic match against sister Venus Williams 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

In other early round play, Caroline Wozniacki came back from a set and a break down to defeat Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-4 7-5.

Busy news day here. In the WTA Series Finale at Doha, current world number one Dinara Safina lost to Jelena Jankovic in their first round after Dinara Safina stopped play at 1-1. Safina went over to her chair, put a towel to her face and starting crying before retiring the match.

It’s not clear if she will continue in the tournament. Serena Williams is currently taking on sister Venus.

Con las 8 mejores tenistas del mundo, comenzó este martes en Doha, Qatar, el masters que reúne a lo mejor de lo mejor, donde sólo una será la ganadora de este torneo que es el 5to en importancia luego de los 4 Grand Slams.

Este año, como el pasado, es Doha la sede, hace dos años fue en Madrid, la gran favorita no está clara, hay varias con posibilidades, Venus Williams es la campeona defensora, su hermana Serena está con buenas oportunidades, pues a diferencia del año pasado donde se retiró, luce en mejor forma física.

Luego de ellas pondría a Wozniacki, que está en su primer masters, y a Azarenka, que también es la novata, sin embargo, esta última ya puso primera y ya ganó su primer partido contra la ex número uno del mundo y semifinalista el año pasado, Jelena Jankovic. Completan el cuadro Svetlana Kuznetsova, que aunque es muy buena, está en el grupo con las dos Williams, tendría que ganarle a Serena en su primer partido, para poder aspirar, ya que de ese grupo es la más difícil.

También Elena Dementieva, que ya le ha ganado a las dos Williams, y que puede ser este un buen momento para ella. Dinara Safina no ha ganado nada grande, es la número uno del mundo, y sólo necesita tener un partido más que Serena para cerrar el año como la primera raqueta del mundo, no obstante, sin un grande; Serena se llevó dos este año.

Es un masters donde las 8 raquetas son las que lo disputan, el año pasado Serena se retiró y ocuparon su lugar. El año entrante será de muchas cosas especiales, pues regresa Justine Henin, la que se fue siendo número uno del mundo con una amplia ventaja, y que era la rival a vencer siempre. Está el posible repunte de María Sharapova que en este 2008 regresó a las canchas luego de varios meses por una operación y por supuesto Kim Clijsters, que demostró que tiene nivel y que evidenció el mal momento del tenis femenino, pues no tuvo rival en el US Open.

This year it is in Doha and I hope the ladies bring their A-game. Often during the YEC everyone is tired and not extremely motivated but maybe this year is different. There are 2 groups of 4 and the best 2 of each group will make it to the semi-finals.

White Group Safina, Wozniacki, Azarenka, Jankovic

Maroon Group S. Williams, Dementieva, V. Williams, Kuznetsova.

I think everyone can see that the Maroon group is way stronger and the winner will probably come from this group. I expect Wozniacki, Jankovic, S. Williams and Kuznetsova as the semi-finalists and the winner will be Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Serena Williams of United States, Dinara Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva of Russia and Venus William of United States line up during the draw for the WTA Championships at the Museum of Islamic Art on October 25, 2009 in the Qatari capital Doha.

102509 / Doha 2009

So, in my hurry to criticise the dresses, I didn’t actually get around to posting the draw earlier.

Here are the groups:

White Group
Dinara Safina
Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka
Jelena Jankovic

Maroon Group
Serena Williams
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Elena Dementieva
Venus Williams

Lest we forget, the top two finishers from each group will advance to the semifinals, where the top-placed player from the White group will face the second-placed player from the Maroon group, and so forth.

Honestly, I have no idea what’s going to happen. I’d bet good money on the eventual champion coming from the Maroon group, but that’s about it. Bonnie Ford at ESPN has a good breakdown on what’s at stake for each of the ladies, and Tennis.com has some interesting statistics. In lieu of predictions, I’m going to put up a poll. Fun!

And now back to the pretty ladies.

Victoria Azarenka does her best impression of a perfume advert.

Seriously. She looks amazing.

Still love this dress.

Screw Dracula, I would vamp her in this.

Svetlana is doing Blue Steel. And I think someone just asked Dinara about the no. 1 ranking.

Venus would like you to know she’s now fully poseable. Posable? Whatever.

I would officially kill for Azarenka’s hair. That is all.