How's that knee, Serena?

She's in hollywood, he's in LA. How are they not interviewing her in person? Prob, bc she's not in hollywood at all ! Anyway, Serena is looking good and sounds confident (not arrogant). I like that!

Whata Dork!

#1


#2

Sister Rivalry

At the end of last year, I was convinced 2009 was going to be the year of Venus. I predicted Venus would finally leave Serena in the dust. I felt Venus would conquer in Australia, rule Wimbledon and shine at the US Open. 2008 was a great year for Venus, she won the Year-End Championships and Wimbledon. I've never been a die-hard Venus Williams fan, so I felt my prediction was not biased in any way.


Unfortunately, this has not been the “Year of Venus” I initially imagined. Despite winning the Year-End Championships in Doha this past November, and coming into the Australian Open red-hot, her results have been less than stellar. Venus lost in the third round in Australia, in a shocking upset, while most her fans in US lay sleeping.

This week, Venus won Dubai (a premier event) by edging her sister in the semifinals. What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. The buzz is out about Venus returning to a Top-5 ranking since 2002, but unfortunately this event signals little as to what the rest of the year will be like for Venus. You see, Venus holds a 10-9 record versus Serena in head-to-head match ups. But the real measure is Serena's 10 Grand Slams to Venus' 7.

It’s apparent that the matches between the two sisters have developed into heated battles. They BOTH want to win! And, as everyone is starting to say, time is running out for both. Each win seems to matter more now, as they contemplate their individual legacies. Especially when considering Grand Slam totals. The problem for Venus, in my opinion, is that it's a little late to start getting pumped up about beating Serena. In the numerous Grand Slam Championships they’ve played each other, Serena holds a 5-2 lead over Venus. Serena brought a raw, angry determination to her matches, that uttered, "I'm the best player on this court." Venus, on the other hand, walked around the tour in those early days making way for her sister, photographing her, and applauding her. That was sweet. But it may have hurt her chances of overtaking her sister in the “grand slam” scheme of things.

So, back to the current. Venus winning Dubai, earning 800 points and beating Serena along the way, means little. Venus may go on to win Wimbledon this year, for her 8th Grand Slam Title. That's dandy, but she'll never match Serena's legacy now, as she nears the last half of her illustrious tennis career. During the first part of their rivalry, Venus held a mental edge over Serena. But instead of focusing on her own legacy in the sport, Venus was too busy coddling her younger sister's ego. And because of this, Venus allowed Serena to believe she was the better of the two. Nearly a decade later, it would appear that the lead Venus gave Serena is simply too wide to close. In a way, Serena has Venus to thank for her memorable career.

Okhey!

Serena showing her fun personality on Jay Leno.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Congrats to Serena for winning her 10th Grand Slam!

A demolishing victory, 6-0, 6-3 in less than an hour that left her young opponent in tears. Glad I didn't pay for one of those expensive front row tickets.

Serena always plays her best tennis on the biggest stages of tennis. She roared in this final, looking nothing like the Serena of week 1 playing Gisela Dulko. Serena lives for these moments and there's something to be appreciated of her grit, ferocity and power.

Serena returns to No.1.

Serena squeaks thru

Sitting with all of my tennis "mates" at a local pub watching the Aussie Open. I was so bummed to see Azarenka retire from her march against Serena due to some form of heat stroke. And she was hitting so well, penetrating thru the court and taking the first set from Serena, 6-4. We are sure to see more from her in the very near future. Serena's fans can breath a sigh of relief as she makes it into the Quarters. If she makes of past that round, she will overtake Jankovic as the new No. 1!

Lights Out!

Marion Bartoli is through to the Quarterfinals of the Australian Open, as she dispatches Jelena Jankovic in 2 very convincing sets - 61 64. The flat-hitting French woman was on fire the entire match, putting it to the current #1 in fashionable style. She's sporting a new, streamlined physique as well. She actually looks like a tennis player (despite her balletesque serving stance). Jelena is likely to lose her #1 ranking following the Aussie Open, and will have to fend off the media wolves regarding her validation as #1. In order for her to stay at the top, either Serena, Safina, or Dementieva will have to lose in their Quarterfinal matches. I doubt that all of the remaining top seeds will fall before the Semifinals.

Side note: Perhaps Jelena should challenge the line calls a little less. In the second set alone, she challenged 3 times, losing each of those challenges. And that was at 2-2! After that, she had no challenges remaining for the entire set. I read somewhere that Serena consciously decides not to challenge often, preferring to stay in the moment and not be sidetracked by the minor details. Seems to work for her!

No Underwear

LMAO!

Serena on streaker: My Innocent Eyes

Musical Chair Rankings

By winning her first round match, Jankovic increased her chances of remaining No. 1 at the conclusion of the Australian Open. Here is a look at the possible scenarios regarding the coveted No. 1 ranking. Our friends over at OntheBaseline did the calculation.

Number One Ranking Projections

Points defending at Melbourne: Jelena Jankovic (900, reached 2008 SF), Serena Williams (500, reached 2008 QF), Dinara Safina (4, fell 2008 1r) and Elena Dementieva (280, reached 2008 4r).

With the winner receiving 2000 ranking points, and the top four ranking positions being so close, here are some scenarios:

• If Jelena Jankovic wins, she will remain No.1 regardless.

• If Dinara Safina wins, she will become No.1, regardless.

• If Serena Williams wins, she will become No.1 IF… she does not play Jankovic in the finals.

• If Elena Dementieva wins, she will become No.1 IF … she does not play Jankovic in the finals.

Additionally, with Jankovic winning her first round match at the Australian Open, Safina would need to reach AT LEAST the semifinals, while S.Williams and Dementieva would need to reach the finals to have a chance to become the World No.1.

Go JJ!

We'll keep you updated about rankings as matches unfold.

Australian Open Draw Out - WTA

The draw for the Australian Open has just been posted! And here’s a Mobster Blogster view-from-the-sky outlook of this year’s key attractions on the women’s side of the field.

Upper Half of the Draw
Jelena on cruise control until Marion Bartoli in the Round of 16; a possible tricky match up. Look for Jelena to meet Vera Zvonareva in the Quarters.

Ivanovic gets a slightly thicker quarter of the draw with many young talents hiding behind every corner. Watch for a possible repeat of last years match between Ivanovic and the smart and feisty Caroline Wozniacki in the Round of 16. If Ana can scrape by with a win there, look for a blockbuster Roland Garros rematch with Dinara Safina in the Quarterfinals.

Lower Half of the Draw
Venus is gifted a watered-down quarter of the draw, with the prospect of facing a collection of the weakest servers on the WTA tour. She is likely to face the surprise Olympic Champion, Elena Dementieva, in the Quarterfinals.

Serena gets a bunch of sentimental crowd favorites in her quarter of the draw: Amelie Mauresmo, Jie Zheng, and Nicole Vaidasova. However, it's unlikely any of these match-ups will materialize. Here we go again - another Semifinal match-up between Venus and Serena.

Wozniacki pushes Serena's buttons

Great match in Sydney between Serena Williams and the rising Danish star, Caroline Wozniacki. Wozniacki served for the match at 6-5 in the third set but couldn't close out the match. Serena had to save 3 match points against the feisty teenager, before taking the match in 3 tight sets at 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(3) in 2 hours and 40 minutes. As predicted in our "2009 WTA Projections" post, Wozniacki is well on her way into the top tier of women's tennis. Congrats to Serena on her hard-fought win!

2009 Projections - Part II

WTA HEADLINES

Injured, Injured, Mono

Three interesting comebacks to watch for on the WTA:
Maria Sharapova – will her nagging shoulder injury indefinitely suspend her return to the top of the game? Her recent announcement to withdraw from the Australian Open only fuels the doubtful fires.
Amelie Mauresmo – can she regain her fitness and form in 2009, or does she face retirement?
Nicole Vaidasova - once touted as a future Top 10 elite player, can she recover from a dismal 2008 season to realize her true potential?

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

An inspired Venus Williams can have one of the best seasons of her veteran career. For the past three years, her performance has shown steady improvement. Will 2009 be the year of Venus? If little sister Serena has anything to say about it, 2009 will more likely be the year of Serena. Whatever the outcome, their newly found commitment towards their careers and legacy will inspire both to show up to win. We predict, however, that Venus will outlast Serena in the game and produce better tennis for a longer duration of time. This could very well be the year that Venus puts herself first, leaving baby sister Serena behind.

Anando 2009

Ana Ivanovic's off season was as busy as ever with vacationing, buying a new $4.5M mansion in Mallorca, and ,of course, Nando. With Ana being completely smitten by Fernando Verdasco, will her focus on winning be a little clouded? And imagine what would happen if their relationship were to end!

We think that Ana's results this year will be less than stellar. But who needs a Grand Slam when you have love!

The Return of the Queen

The WTA Tour is keeping a close watch for any signs of a Justine Henin return. If rumors do surface, they are likely to occur after Wimbledon.

Confessions of a teenage drama queen
Watch as the young stars of the WTA tour continue their climb up the world stage of tennis.

Bank your deposits on Caroline Wozniacki and Dominika Cibulkova. One of these young talents will work her way into the Top 10 for 2009.

American tennis fans will become more familiar with the name Coco Vandeweghe, as this feisty teenager begins her promising journey up the pro-women's tour.

Retirement Roll Call
Who will make the official announcement first: Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Patty Schnyder, or Mary Pierce?

2009 WTA Thread to follow

Jelena Jankovic will be tested, out-gunned and hunted by the competition as she attempts to validate her #1 ranking with a Grand Slam title. She said a lot during the off season, and will have to back those words up with a ton of action. Is she up to the challenge? We think so.