by Bobby Chintapalli, TW Contributing Editor

I don’t know about the players, but I’m still wondering where the off-season went. While I love tennis as much as the next gal, I could use some time to eat, sleep, google and do all those things you do when you’re not watching tennis all the time. This brings me to Melbourne, where the Australian Open starts next Monday. The main draw isn’t out yet, so I figure it’s a good time to think about who and what will and won’t happen in the women’s singles event without being constrained by the details (you know, small stuff like who’s playing who).

1) How will Justine 2.0 do?

At the French Open we wondered how Maria Sharapova would fare after nearly a year off with a shoulder injury and were pleasantly surprised when she reached the quarterfinals. At the US Open we speculated how far Kim Clijsters would take this comeback trail and were shocked when she navigated past both Williams sisters and all the way to a second Grand Slam singles title. At the Australian Open, we’re checking out Justine Henin.

We watched her some in Brisbane, where she lost to Clijsters in the final, so we know she can still hit a tennis ball or two. Now we’re talking about the first major tournament of the year. Henin may consider this a practice Grand Slam, where she can get in a few hits so she can add to her greatest hits at the Grand Slam she owned before she left the game (French Open) and then at the one she says is the reason she came back (Wimbledon). While she gets a feel for the field, we’ll get a feel for her. Is her one-handed backhand still a thing of beauty? Is her supposedly new-and-improved serve really bigger and better? Will the draw be kind to her? (Yes, Nadia Petrova, we know you want to know too.) How early would she have to face Serena Williams, who finally occupies the Number 1 ranking Henin left behind when she retired a year and a half ago?

2) What about Serena?

She’s sometimes an exclamation mark and other times a question mark, but at Grand Slams Serena is always part of the story. When the draw comes out tennis fans check to see where her name is, and surely tennis players pray it’s not next to theirs.

With Henin back, Clijsters better than ever and Sharapova likely in form again, the tennis landscape is changing. When the Australian Open is won and done will Serena still be sitting pretty, showing she dominated the scene because she’s simply the best and not simply because the rest were away? Oddsmakers can’t make up their minds. Two weeks ago Betfair thought Serena had the best odds, but this weekend they gave a slight edge to Clijsters.

Tennis aside will Serena display girls-gone-mild behavior at this Grand Slam after her girls-gone-wild behavior at the last one? How will the media treat her? So many questions and, with Serena, so many juicy answers to look forward to. Admit it – already you can’t wait to get your hands on her pressers.

3) Will the youngsters deliver? 

The young player oddsmakers are betting on is Caroline Wozniacki. As of this weekend each of the four players with better odds of winning the tournament has won multiple Grand Slam titles. In fact oddsmakers give Wozniacki a better chance than three previous Grand Slam winners, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic and, most surprising, Venus Williams. Wozniacki is around a dozen spots higher than the teenager with the next best chance of winning, Melanie Oudin.

What about the other Top 10 youngsters, 20-year-olds Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska? Azarenka’s play in the first half of last year suggests she can improve on her quarterfinal showings at the French Open and Wimbledon. It will be interesting to see if she does, especially without coach Antonio Van Grichen; the two stopped working together in December after four years together. Will Radwanska show there’s a reason she ended the year in the Top 10 two years in a row? She has her strengths of course, but she lacks power. Some question how she’s in the Top 10, and a good showing here would be one way for her to tell them where to stick it.

Oddsmakers believe young players with a better chance of winning than even Radwanska are Yanina Wickmayer and Sabine Lisicki.

4) Who will surprise us?

Speaking of Oudin few players surprised us more at the US Open, where she beat four hard-hitting Russians before falling to a relatively soft-hitting Dane. And remember Jelena Dokic’s gutsy performance at last year’s Australian Open?

Surprises aren’t so fun to recall when they involve top players losing early. It pains me to even write this, but I’m thinking of Venus Williams at last year’s Australian Open and French Open and Ana Ivanovic at the US Open. This year you have to think top players will be in trouble if they’re slated for early meetings with the likes of Henin, who’s unranked, or Sharapova and Clijsters, who are still ranked lower than they should be.

For me the biggest surprise would be a new Grand Slam winner. With seven former Grand Slam singles winners in the draw (with Serena owning a third of the titles), a new winner seems unlikely. If there is a new winner, oddsmakers think it will be Wozniacki. Next on their list are Elena Dementieva, Victoria Azarenka, Dinara Safina, Jelena Jankovic and Flavia Pennetta. Not a chance, you say? Well then I’d settle for a surprise semifinalist a la Yanina Wickmayer at the US Open.

5) Who won’t even show up?

Oddsmakers give Wickmayer, who won the Auckland warmup, a fairly good chance of winning (she’s among their top 15 picks), though it’s not a given she’ll even make the main draw. Entries were closed by the time her one-year doping ban was suspended, and wildcards were given out to Henin and others. Wickmayer will have to make it through the qualifying tournament to get to the main draw.

Then there are lingering injuries to think about. Vera Zvonareva, who was playing so well and reached the No. 5 ranking after last year’s Australian Open, is still recovering from an ankle injury and retired in her first-round match in Sydney. Will she be better in time for the Australian Open? And what about last year’s finalist, Dinara Safina, who spent much of last year in the Number 1 spot in the WTA rankings (if not in Serena’s heart)? She pulled out of the year-end championships and her first tournament this year owing to a back injury. She’s playing singles and doubles in Sydney, but has she fully recovered? It seems unlikely she’ll pull out of the Australian Open, but if she does, she could use the time to get stronger for the French Open, which will be here sooner than we think.

by Bobby Chintapalli, TW Contributing Editor

Like it or not, win or lose, on court or off, Serena Williams dominated women’s tennis this year. She grabbed our attention in Melbourne in January and still had it in Doha last month. Even if we couldn’t look (or couldn’t look away), there she was through four seasons for many reasons, including quite a few that had nothing to do with her massive serves and crosscourt forehands. The queen of the court, the player ‘Sports Illustrated’ named female athlete of the decade, can even hold court off court, serving up quotable quotes as effortlessly as those aces out wide.

In fact it’s when her tennis fizzles that Serena really sizzles. Remember those comments after her loss at the French Open to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova? “I lost because of me and not because of anything she did,” Serena said. “I pretty much gave it to her. It was like, Here, you know, do you want to go to the semis? Because I don’t. She was like, Okay.” Zing… and we all know there’s more where that came from.

You can call Serena ungracious… or maybe charming, dense, witty, bizarre, sensible, unbearable, inspiring. She can be all that and more – in just one interview. What you can’t call her is boring. Her pressers can be juicier than Tiger Woods’s text messages and funnier than his voice messages. They can also be longer than his apparently not-so-little black book. Is there a topic Serena hasn’t discussed, a product she hasn’t plugged, a new extracurricular activity she hasn’t mentioned? If you think so, chances are, you missed a few pressers from Wimbledon or some other tournament this year.

It’s not necessarily that Serena likes to talk. Often fans and journalists like Serena to talk. And talk and talk. She seems to get asked more questions – and certainly more odd, comical and inflammatory questions – than others. Perhaps to be newsworthy or just courteous, she also seems to answer more of them and relatively honestly at that.

I decided to recap the year of a player we live to watch or maybe watch to berate using her own words from her favorite eight weeks of the year, the Grand Slams.  As I pored through every syllable she uttered during every press conference of every Grand Slam tournament, I wanted to hug her, lecture her, laugh, scream or throw my laptop out of the window. Not once did I want to yawn.

Australian Open

* Topics discussed: The heat, rankings, Andy Roddick, odd-year AO titles, the economy, President Barack Obama’s inauguration
* Products plugged: Hewlett Packard, Nike
* Extracurricular activities mentioned: Designing, playing guitar

Most interesting question: “With your present silhouette, do you suppose you’re able to bear the heat better than one day you might have?”

On whether being more “slender” this year helped her handle the heat (her answer to the question above): “Maybe with the fat I would be able to absorb more of the heat (laughter).”

On President Obama’s inauguration: “I was watching on the TV before I went out to play. I looked at my arm, and I literally had chill bumps. I’m a big fan of African American history, learning my roots so I can be a better person. You just look at all the things that we’ve come through. Now to have this opportunity… is amazing.”

On her winning the AO in odd years: “One year I wasn’t able to come back and defend my title. One year I went crazy. A couple years I went completely crazy. So hopefully I’ll be able to stay focused this year.

On Andy Roddick: “My biceps are probably still bigger than his (laughter).”

French Open

* Topics discussed: How drama follows her, the Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez incident, injuries, playing on clay
* Products plugged: Surprisingly… none?
* Extracurricular activities mentioned: Even more surprisingly… none?

Most interesting question: “I don’t think you’ve ever won a Slam without being able to scream. This could be a big challenge for you.” (A journalist asked this in response to Serena saying she was losing her voice.)

On whether Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez knew a ball touched her as Serena said and cameras suggested: “I hit that ball rather hard. She knew that ball hit her.”

On the drama in her life: “I’m like one of those girls on a reality show that has all the drama, and everyone in the house hates them because no matter what they do, like, drama follows them. I don’t want to be that girl.”

On how she played in her first-round match: “I played really horrible today… I just played junior tennis or even worse.”

On the calendar-year Grand Slam not being possible because she and Rafael Nadal lost: “Honestly, I’m glad I didn’t go down alone.”

On whether she would root for Roger Federer to win: “I like Del Potro’s game, because he’s young and he’s tall and he’s really nice to me. And Roger is really nice to me, too. Obviously I love Roger. But, yeah, him, and I like González. Well, González is hitting too many drop shots, so he kind of got me a little frustrated. So yeah. I don’t know. Maybe – I like Del Potro. I don’t know if he’s the favorite, but I’d just like to see him do well.”

Wimbledon

* Topics discussed: Venus Williams, Roger Federer, rankings, Russian players, Michael Jackson’s death, uses for trophies
* Products plugged: Nike t-shirts, Gatorade
* Extracurricular activities mentioned: Script-writing, designing

Most interesting question: “You were late on court. Jelena Jankovic was late for her match yesterday. Both of you look pretty perfect on court, your hair, you outfits. Does it take time you a long time to get ready? Does that affect how late you are on court sometimes?”

On Michael Jackson’s death: “”Words can’t express my shock and horror… I think any celebrity who met Michael Jackson was completely in awe. I know I was… [He] was the celebrity of all celebrities.”

On her forehand during her close match against Elena Dementieva: “My forehand didn’t show up today. I think he went to Hawaii (laughter).”

On Venus at Wimbledon: “I think she’s everyone’s worry. [She] has proven herself to be the best grass court player in our generation.”

On Nadal’s absence: “I was sad… I’m sure there’s a lot of guys on the men’s tour who were probably celebrating and partying.”

On Wimbledon perhaps scheduling players on Centre Court based on looks rather than talent: “Well, I think Roger’s hot, but he’s married…”

On what she admires most about Roger Federer: “I like how he hates to lose.”

On how there are so many Russian players: “Everyone is from Russia. Sometimes I think I’m from Russia, too… I think my name must be ‘Williamsova’.”

On whether she marvels at her accomplishments: “No. I have plenty of time to think about that when my career is over… I feel like there’s so much more I would like to do.”

On her trophies: “I use some of my trophies for makeup brushes, so, you know, maybe I’ll just take a step back and be like, Hmm. Take all the makeup brushes out and really appreciate every title and every trophy.”

On whether she was disappointed not to have the Number 1 ranking: “I’d rather be No. 2 and hold three Grand Slams in the past year than be No. 1 and not have any.”

US Open

* Topics discussed: Her semifinal outburst, Kim Clijsters, Melanie Oudin
* Products plugged: Her book (‘On the Line’), HSN collection, Nike Delicious t-shirts, Wilson
* Extracurricular activities mentioned: Writing, fashion, designing, acting

Most interesting question: “Is it harder to play against somebody who is nice as opposed to someone who is maybe a pain in the ass?”

On Kim Clijsters: “Seems like she’s even faster than what she was before. I was thinking that maybe I should have a baby and then I’ll come back faster. (laughter.) That was my observation, so I’m thinking about it.”

On Melanie Oudin: “She’s a real fighter. It’s great for the United States and great for women’s tennis… Now I don’t have to have so much pressure on Fed Cup all the time.”

On what little Serena might think of today’s Serena: “I would think that this Serena Williams today is super cool. I would love to get her autograph. I think she would have been my idol, because it would have been like growing up there weren’t too many black people.”

On being a champion: “What makes a champion isn’t how well they do. It’s about how well they can recover when they fall, or if they fall.”

On hearing fans yelling: “I hear it sometimes. I heard a guy in the crowd saying, Stop hitting lobs, so I didn’t hit any more lobs after that. My lob was not working today (laughter).”

On what she said to the lineswoman during her now-infamous semifinal outburst: “What did I say? You didn’t hear? Oh.”

On how that semifinal ended: “I planned on hitting a couple of aces, but I guess it didn’t work out.”

On whether the weather contributed to her outburst: “What? That’s like the craziest question I ever heard… Usually if it’s hot you lose your temper, not when it’s cold. Come on.”

On what she learned from the outburst: “I think the whole point of learning from your mistakes is not to do the same thing. I definitely would, I think, have a more professional way of voicing my opinion… I want to get another bad line call so I can get some more practice and see how I do. That would be awesome… I probably would even smile.”

On what the money means to her: “You know, when I first started playing tennis, I never ever thought of a paycheck. I play to win; I play to be happy; I play because I enjoy what I do.”

Dear Santa,

If you don’t count the month of March, the crazy things I did on that trip in May, those horrible things I said back in July and a few other tiny transgressions and indiscretions, I’ve been an awfully good girl this year. So I’m hoping you’ll get me everything on my Christmas list. Don’t worry… you have plenty of time – all of next year in fact. And lest you think I’m being selfish, Santa, note that these are for women’s tennis players, not for me… not really. Pretty selfless, huh? Now here’s what I want:

#1 A Grand Slam for Elena Dementieva

Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic may deserve a Grand Slam, but in my mind Elena Dementieva’s the best player without one. She’s been at the top of women’s tennis for a while and has much to show for it –  Olympic medals, Grand Slam finals, big Fed Cup wins… and have you seen those biceps? She was a favorite at this year’s Australian Open and US Open, but it didn’t happen for her. It nearly did happen at Wimbledon, where she wasn’t a favorite but was one down-the-line shot away from the final.

Dementieva has athleticism, technique and even mental ability. You may disagree, Santa, but this year Dementieva didn’t usually melt down when it mattered. It’s just that others – a Serena Williams here, a Melanie Oudin there – really stepped up. Off court she’s all class. Win or lose nobody gives a more gracious post-match interview.  My favorite thing about her? Whatever the round, whatever the tournament, she plays like she really wants to win. And that’s why I really want her to win the final round at the biggest tournaments.

#2 Wimbledon for Venus Williams (again)

Other champions have won Wimbledon more (Martina Navratilova), younger (her own sister, Serena Williams, in mixed doubles), even taller (Lindsay Davenport). But lately, on the green, green grass of Wimbledon, nobody’s mowed down her opponents quite like Venus.

This decade she made it to final eight times and won five times. Clearly she has the skills: Her speedy serve, pounding ground strokes and explosive movement enable her to “bully” others, as she told Conan O’Brien. She also has the desire, which isn’t as strong or perhaps as obvious elsewhere. Tennis-wise, you sense Wimbledon is why Venus gets out of bed in the morning. With the years and teenagers creeping up on her though, she doesn’t have that many chances left, so once again next year, please put the Venus Rosewater Dish in Venus Williams’s stocking.

#3 Big wins for Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova

Not because they’re my favorites but because the women’s tour will be a more exciting place if the no-longer-retired Belgians and the no-longer-injured Sharapova play the level of tennis that won them a combined dozen Grand Slam titles. With these three back, Serena dominant again, talented youngsters making some noise, and ‘middle-aged’ players like Flavia Pennetta and Sam Stosur playing with poise, things should get good.

#4 More confidence – and joy – for Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic 

What is it with the Number 1 ranking? Except for Serena everyone who gets it these days goes off the tennis deep end soon after (i.e., drops out of the top 20, melts down in Grand Slams). Serena doesn’t handle the top spot better because she’s a better tennis player (though she is that). She handles it better because she’s crazy confident (admittedly with the emphasis occasionally on the ‘crazy’ part). It seems like a small thing, but for elite athletes, who have the strokes down pat, it’s everything. It helped Flavia Pennetta overcome six match points against Vera Zvonareva at the US Open this year, didn’t it?

Sure, Ivanovic could use tips for the yips, but what she needs more is confidence. It might also help her play with more joy. I miss the Ivanovic who looked happy out there, and played like she wanted to win and not like she was afraid to lose.

Ditto for Safina, who played scared, soulless tennis in the latter part of the year. As a fan it’s hard to watch a player who’s so hardworking (and quite endearing) play like “such a chicken” in big matches. Maybe the Number 1 ranking took a toll, and probably the back issues and sour coach didn’t help. Jankovic occasionally has too much confidence, but her sometimes delusional attitude sure beats Safina’s often doubtful one.

What Jankovic lacks these days is joy. She had a tough year on court and off, so it’s understandable… but it’s missed. Remember the player who smiled while receiving Venus’s first serve? That JJ loved tennis, and we loved her for it.

#5 More tennis and titles for Kimiko Date Krumm

She’s ranked 82 at age 39 – that’s 20 years older than the woman ranked just under her. The best part is that she’s playing tennis like it’s meant to be played – like it’s fun and she really wants to. And what about the tour’s other golden oldies? Not counting Amélie Mauresmo, who retired, and Date Krumm, the top 100 still has three thirtysomethings – Jill Craybas, Tathiana Garbin and Patty Schnyder. Can you save them some goodies? At least small stuff like good health and free swinging?

#6 Rising rankings for Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska    

These top players are leading the charge for the toddlers of tennis. I root harder for the golden oldies, but it would be nice to see these youngsters and all the others play with fun-to-watch abandon knowing they have little to lose with a great coach – time – on their side. The top 100 has more than a dozen teens and a long list of impressive players who were teens when the year began, including Azarenka and Radwanska as well as Yanina Wickmayer, Sabine Lisicki, Dominika Cibulkova, Alisa Kleybanova and Alexandra Dulgheru. Off court it would be nice to see them continue to grow into the ambassadors women’s tennis will need when Venus and the gang leave the tour.

#7 Fewer injuries for Jelena Dokic

After an emotional return to tennis this year, she suffered from an assortment of health issues, including an Achilles tendon injury, a lower back injury and glandular fever. And she’s not the only one hanging out in hospitals. We all know what happened to Sharapova last year. Now Zvonareva’s recovering from ankle surgery, and Safina withdrew from the year-end championships with a back injury she thought might keep her out of the Australian Open. When you read the now-obligatory medical section of post-match pressers, it’s easy to forget (and sad to remember) that these are twentysomethings.

#8 More respect for all the players

Women’s tennis could use more exposure… especially of the right kind. That means fewer fat jokes. The players don’t all look like Daniela Hantuchova or Gisela Dulko, and that’s ok. That means more coverage of more players, not just the top five, the Americans, the youngest and the prettiest. That means more respectful questions from journalists. It was fine to ask Safina about the Number 1 ranking, but it was downright rude after the 20th time. Heck, that even means more respectful tweets. The tweets of a certain ATP player ranked below 200 questioning the state of women’s tennis within a few minutes of Kim Clijsters winning the US Open? They don’t fall into this category.

We could all work on this one, Santa. Maybe we should occasionally ask ourselves and others if, in the words of one wise woman, we’re “trying to be down on women’s tennis”. Then we could remind ourselves that we shouldn’t “deal with down”. This isn’t too much to ask, is it?

Hugs and kisses to Mrs. Santa!

Love,

– Bobby Chintapalli