Wimbledon Week Two Preview: Time to Sober Up

So things got a little crazy this first week at Wimbledon, and more than a couple of us are left holding our heads in agony, wondering if we're remembering things quite right. We've only just reached the point in the tournament where the favorites should be getting tested, but in fact barely half of those remaining are actually seeded. And while both world #1's are still alive, plenty of others in the draws might never have imagined they'd be standing the second week of this Major. But now we've had a full day to sleep off the last couple wild nights, and it's time we get really serious.

Odds-on favorite Serena Williams has looked unstoppable so far, as should be expected, and hasn't lost a set yet, while, somewhat surprisingly, last year's runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska has been on point herself, advancing to her fifth straight Slam fourth round. But that's not to say their fates are set quite yet. Sabine Lisicki, a semifinalist here two years ago, if she's playing at the top of her game, could give Williams a run for the money in their next round, while Tsvetana Pironkova, a Cinderella at the All England Club a couple times herself, might give Aga a tough time herself.

But the biggest opportunity may lie in the section of this half where no one is seeded. Kaia Kanepi, who made the quarters here three years ago as a qualifier, has struggled to come back from injury time and again, and has already taken out world #7 Angelique Kerber this past week. And hometown hero Laura Robson -- she who ended Kim Clijsters career in New York and then made the finals in Guangzhou, ousted tenth seeded Maria Kirilenko in her opener. She's never made the quarterfinal of a Major, but with the cards seeming to stack up in her favor this week, it might just be time for a real breakthrough.

The bottom half of the women's draw has a couple more holes poked in it. With both favorites Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova out by the second round, the top seed remaining is 2011 champion Petra Kvitova -- a winner here, yes, but also one who's won just two matches for every one she's lost this year. That could open the door for rising star Sloane Stephens or 2007 runner-up Marion Bartoli. But teenager Monica Puig might have some different ideas -- the nineteen-year-old Puerto Rican, who's fresh off a third round appearance at Roland Garros, opened by upsetting fifth seeded Sara Errani here. She, along with world #104 Karin Knapp, might be the least likely picks to make the quarters, but if we've learned anything from the first week at the All England Club, it's to expect the unexpected.

The men's draw, if you can believe it, has been even more decimated in the first week of play. Two-time champion Rafael Nadal crashed out in the first round while seven-time winner Roger Federer followed a match later. Their exits, plus that of 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt, leave Novak Djokovic as the only man in the field who's ever won a Wimbledon trophy. But Juan Martin Del Potro, winner in New York nearly four years ago and Bronze medalist here last summer, hasn't dropped a set yet. And French Open finalist David Ferrer, despite having hiccups here and there, will be eager to prove his run at Roland Garros was no fluke. But pressure might be most on 2011 quarterfinalist Bernard Tomic, who's already taken out big-serving Sam Querrey and tough-as-nails Richard Gasquet. A good run this year might cement his position among the sport's elite, instead of gaining him attention for the wrong reasons.

Meanwhile Andy Murray seems to have a clear path to the final in the bottom half of the draw -- the only other seeds in his section are #20 Mikhail Youzhny, who he's never lost to, and #24 Jerzy Janowicz, who'll be playing his first Major fourth round at this Wimbledon. This half is really more about the comeback stories. Jurgen Melzer, out of the top thirty now, hasn't made the fourth round at a Slam in over two years and has mostly faced clay court specialists in the first week, but might be on the verge of breaking through again at the All England Club. And Fernando Verdasco, well out of his top-ten ranking phase, is coming off a quarterfinal run in Eastbourne, and has gotten past Xavier Malisse, Julien Benneteau and Ernests Gulbis in his first three rounds. He may not be known for his lawn game, but he might be able to change that after this week ends.

But there are a couple other stories to tell in this half. Thirty-one year old Lukasz Kubot has benefitted from, first, the upset of Rafael Nadal and, second, the withdrawal of Steve Darcis, but backed up his good luck by ousting twenty-fifth seeded Benoit Paire in the third round. It's the veteran Pole's second trip to Wimbledon Week Two and, slated to meet fellow triple-digit-ranked Adrian Mannarino next, he could go farther still. It's hard to predict his future much beyond the next round, but in a half of the draw that's so incredibly wide open, he might not have a better opportunity to make a stand.

After a week of outrageous results and huge surprises, the second week of this Slam features some unfamiliar faces. And while this is precisely when the favorites should take the reins and remind us who's boss, the upstarts need to make sure their hangovers don't get in the way of the success they've had.

Because there's a lot on the line the next couple days, and something tells me we'll all want to remember what's coming next.

Down to Business

The second week of the year's first Grand Slam is quickly approaching, and the stakes are getting higher for the players still remaining in the Australian Open draws. Some have been here before -- some many times -- but this is new territory for others, and the pressure will be on for them to really be at the top of their game.

Andreas Seppi had something of a coming-out party in 2012 -- pro for a decade, the twenty-eight year old had spent most of his career ranked in the forties or fifties, but reached a career high in October after winning titles in Moscow and Belgrade. He also gave the world a mini heart attack at Roland Garros when he took a two-set lead over Novak Djokovic. It was the first Major fourth round he'd ever played, though, so you can understand the nerves he might have felt. The Italian will have a chance to get back to the final sixteen when he plays a wholly beatable Marin Cilic in Melbourne tomorrow. The Croat won't go easily though -- he's won at least three rounds here the last four times he's come Down Under -- so Seppi will have to dig deep if he wants to improve his 3-5 record. But if he's playing the kind of ball we've seen from him the last twelve months, it wouldn't surprise me to see the win.

South Africa's Kevin Anderson has already had a bit of a fairy tale run in Australia -- a place where he'd only gotten out of the first round once before. Though he reached the final in Sydney a week ago, he wasn't seeded at the Open and so lurked as a hidden threat to the favorites. On Friday he took the chance to pounce -- coming back from two-sets-to-one down to 2009 semifinalist Fernando Verdasco, the big-serving collegiate star took a long fourth set to force a decider and ultimately sailed through the fifth. He'll have a tough time from here -- Anderson next faces a rematch of last year's third round against Tomas Berdych, a man who's won all four of their previous matches, all during 2012. The Czech hasn't been tested much yet in Melbourne, either, so if Anderson is going to make a play, he's going to have to play big.

Sloane Stephens hasn't yet reached the fourth round of Melbourne, but with a win over Dominika Cibulkova in Brisbane and a run to the semis in Hobart, expectations are high for the young American. She had her breakout last year in Paris, of course, but now that she's reached Major seeding territory, she'll not want to disappoint -- and with solid wins over Kristina Mladenovic and one-time upstart Simona Halep, so far she hasn't. She'll be tested by fellow Cinderella Laura Robson in the next round though. With a win over one-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Thursday, the young Brit seems to be making a career out of defeating Grand Slam winners. But Sloane beat her contemporary about a week ago in Hobart, so she should have momentum on her side -- and if she makes another round of sixteen at a Major, she'll do quite a lot to silence critics who say the future of U.S. tennis is so weak.

Kirsten Flipkens has already landed the first punch in her quest to make this her breakthrough Slam -- the twenty-seven year old also reached career highs in 2012, , making the semis in 's-Hertogenbosch and taking the title in Quebec City. But she'd never done well at the Majors, and didn't even qualify for the main draw here last year. Now ranked #43 in the world, though -- her highest ever career ranking -- she decimated Shenzhen finalist Klara Zakopalova and, though she struggled a bit in Friday's third round, ultimately scored the win over qualifier Valeria Savinykh. Flipkens might have the toughest route of the lot -- the Belgian next faces 2008 Australian champion Maria Sharapova, a woman she's lost to twice, dating all the way back to 2003. But even if she doesn't win, she might have gained the confidence she needs to really shine the rest of the year. And it might not be long before we see her really taking it to the stars in this sport.

The task ahead for any of these players is not an easy one -- they might have shown some of their best results over the last week, but with so many of the favorites still in the mix, it's only going to get harder from here. But we all know that anything can happen at the Majors, and if they keep their focus when the pressure is highest, there's no reason to believe their best is behind them.

Australian Open Preview: Cinderella Stories

It's probably impossible to get through an entire Grand Slam -- or any sporting event, for that matter -- without a couple underdogs really breaking through. And at this year's Australian Open there's plenty of opportunity to see some lesser-known names get a chance to shine.

A couple players come to Melbourne at career highs, others at recent lows. Some of the favorites may be vulnerable, and a couple just out of seeding territory might just be ready to pounce. And while upsets could happen anywhere, being classified as a real Cinderella will need a combination of luck, timing and talent. So this year I'll be scanning the draws for some potential spoilers and pick a pair of players who, if everything goes their way, might just find themselves fighting for a semifinal spot.

So let's get right to it.

The Men First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

The Women First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

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The Men

First Quarter

Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych take the top spots in this section of the draw, and neither face too many immediate threats to their campaigns -- although the two-time defending champion will open against a tough Paul-Henri Mathieu, steadily climbing back up the rankings since a knee injury sidelined him for all of 2011. But there are a couple players used to being seeded at Majors that could have an ever bigger impact on the draw.

Feliciano Lopez and Victor Troicki were both seeded here last year, and with openers against qualifier Arnau Brugues-Davi and Radek Stepanek, who retired just this past week in Sydney, they each have some routes available to them. Players like Brian Baker, a Cinderella at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2012, Sydney finalist Kevin Anderson, and always in-the-mix Xavier Malisse could also pose threats to the favorites.

And largely unknown Roberto Bautista Agut, runner-up in Chennai, could set up a third-round rematch against Tomas Berdych, a man he beat in the quarters a week ago. The twenty-four year old Spaniard retired three games into his first round match in Sydney, but if he's recouped in time for only his second Major main draw match against a wholly beatable Fabio Fognini, he could give the Czech a run for the money.

The Cinderella Quarterfinal: (22) Fernando Verdasco vs. (20) Sam Querrey

In the end though, this portion of the bracket holds the most potential for a couple guys playing just off their best game. One-time semifinalist Verdasco carries a fairly low seed, but with few hard court hitters in his path early, he could make a decent run here. And Querrey, suddenly the #1 American in the field, made a nice run to the final four in Auckland. To make the quarters he'd likely have to face off against Novak Djokovic in the fourth round, but after the stunning come-from-behind victory he pulled of last fall at the Paris Masters, he should have the confidence to do some big things this year too.

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Second Quarter

Poor Benoit Paire -- playing some of the best tennis of his career, just a shade off an all-time high ranking at #43 in the world, and coming off a run to the semis in Chennai and he is rewarded this week by facing off against four-time champion Roger Federer to start. Countryman Michael Llodra might have a better shot against his Olympic doubles co-silver medalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who, despite winning all three of his round robins at the Hopman Cup, suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to withdraw from Sydney.

Nikolay Davydenko could also use this opportunity to return to the spotlight. The former world #3 has struggled to come back from injury for almost two years, even dropping out of the top fifty here and there. Ten times a Major quarterfinalist, he only won one match at a Slam last year. But after a run to the Doha finals, one which included a win over red-hot David Ferrer, he might be ready to play to his level again. And Sydney titleist Bernard Tomic, who went on a six-match losing streak in the middle of last year, has scored wins over Andreas Seppi and Novak Djokovic this year. With a Melbourne opener against recently quiet Leonardo Mayer, he could be poised for another deep Slam run.

But also keep an eye out for Jarkko Nieminen. The veteran Finn upset Julien Benneteau in Brisbane last week and went on the reach the quarters in Sydney, where he ultimately lost to Tomic. He's got a first round against 2012 comeback kid vet Tommy Haas, but the seeded German pulled out of Hopman Cup action with an injured toe and lost early this week to Gael Monfils in Auckland. Nieminen hasn't made it past the third round at a Slam since 2008, but if he kicks off his campaign in Melbourne with a bang, this might be his chance to change that.

The Cinderella Quarterfinal: (17) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. (9) Richard Gasquet

Gasquet made the fourth round at every Slam last year, but now in the top ten for the first time since 2008, the Doha champion has got some real momentum on his side. Not a lot has to happen for him to make the quarters -- a loss by Tsonga the biggest surprise needed -- but if he gets there, it would be only the second time he's done so in his decade-long career. Kohlschreiber, in the game even longer, only made his first quarter last year at Wimbledon. And though the Auckland finalist would likely have to get through one-time Cinderella Milos Raonic and Roger Federer to get there again, past underdogs have accomplished feats just as great.

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Third Quarter

There could be some sparks for Andy Murray as he sets out to prove his U.S. Open title was no fluke. First round opponent Robin Haase won the first two sets off the third seed in New York back in 2011 and has taken players like Lleyton Hewitt, Nicolas Almagro and Rafael Nadal to five sets at Majors in the past. Meanwhile fellow one-Slammer (so far) Juan Martin Del Potro opens against qualifier Adrian Mannarino and shouldn't face much of a challenge through many of his early rounds.

That doesn't mean there isn't room for upsets in this section of the draw, though. Grega Zemlja was my player to watch at the end of 2012, and with a first match against spotty seed Marcel Granollers there's no reason to think he can't get a few wins in here. And Jesse Levine, sadly playing for Canada these days, very quietly worked his way to a career high ranking last October. He opens against injury-plagued veteran Tommy Robredo who, though well of his high #5 ranking, nevertheless won two Challengers titles last year and upset Andreas Seppi in the first hour of the U.S. Open. Either one of them could be spoilers in Melbourne -- as long as they don't wear each other out early.

The Cinderella Quarterfinal: Guillermo Garcia Lopez vs. Gael Monfils (both unseeded)

The real upsets in this quarter, though, will likely come from one-time world #7 Gael Monfils. The showy Frenchman made the quarters in Doha and the semis in Auckland, but comes Down Under without a seed. Against 2011 breakthrough Alexandr Dolgopolov in his opener, he's got more than a good chance to get off to a good start, and may just rock that momentum through the first week. GGL on the other hand, hasn't been much of a threat recently, but a win over Andy Murray last year in Indian Wells shows he still has some fight left in him. He'd likely face Marin Cilic in the second round and Andreas Seppi a match later, but if things go his way, he might just surprise us all.

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Fourth Quarter

David Ferrer is on a roll, and it's going to be hard to bet against his at this event. Seeded fourth, thanks to a very public withdrawal by compatriot Rafael Nadal, he's coming off his third straight title in Auckland. The last two years he's translated that into a quarter and semifinal showing, so first round opponent Olivier Rochus knows he'll have to bring it. Eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic faces a tougher task -- facing off against hometown hero Lleyton Hewitt first, the Chennai champ will have to step up his game in front of this crowd.

But there are other players more under the radar that could cause damage this fortnight. Carlos Berlocq has fallen a bit down the rankings the last few months, but the Argentine has shown signs he can play in the past. He opens against qualifier Maxime Authom, ranked just #157 in the world, so should be able to win at least his first Slam match in a year. And Simone Bolelli might be able to make a stand himself -- once ranked in the top forty, the pretty Italian opens against Paris fairy tale Jerzy Janowicz, who's playing in only his third career Major. If Bolelli can take advantage of his inexperience, he might just be able to make a run for it.

But the real player to watch in this section might be Brisbane runner-up Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Milos Raonic and Jurgen Melzer on the way to his first career final. He kicks off against just-seeded veteran Julien Benneteau, nearly a finalist himself in Sydney and only a few ranking spots ahead of the Bulgarian. It could be a pretty brutal battle for the second round, but if Dimitrov can make it through there's no real threat for a him for a few matches after.

The Cinderella Quarterfinal: (28) Marcos Baghdatis vs. (10) Nicolas Almagro

Like with Gasquet a few quarters ago, Almagro doesn't need a lot of luck to make the quarters here. Having lost in the fourth round in Melbourne the last three years, the world #11 might have the motivation to go one further and, if he needs to, could beat Tipsy to do it. More of a stretch is Baghdatis, a long-ago runner-up in Australia. He's kept himself relevant the past half-decade, though, and thanks in part to a semifinal run in Brisbane last week has shown he can still hit with the young guys. He opens against always tricky Albert Ramos, but shouldn't see any real trouble until the third round where he's slated to meet Ferrer. But if the one-time #8 has his game together, he might show us glimpses of the play that got him to the final back in 2006.

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The Women

First Quarter

The top quarter of the ladies draw is rife with potential upsets. Defending champion Victoria Azarenka starts her run against an on-the-rebound Monica Niculescu. The world #1 has won all four of their previous matches, but if the Romanian is truly back in form, she could surprise, nevertheless. I'm more worried about seventh seed Sara Errani, the Cinderella here a year ago. She's ranked seventh in the world and spent last year proving she can be a threat on more than just a clay court. She'll kick off her campaign against Carla Suarez Navarro, who's been known to cause upsets here in the past -- the Italian has played well so far this season, but will need to keep it up to prove 2012 was no fluke.

There are deeper threats here too. Christina McHale has struggled a bit recently, but is still the kind of talent that can cause some upsets -- the young American is slated to meet Errani in the second round. And unseeded Sabine Lisicki, ranked a disappointing #37 is pitted against Caroline Wozniacki, herself having trouble playing the kind of ball that kept her at #1 in the world for so long. If she's playing to her potential, there's no reason she won't see some big results this tournament.

But perhaps we should most closely watch Svetlana Kuznetsova, unseeded at a Slam for the first time since 2003. She comes to Melbourne ranked well out of the top fifty, and had to qualify for Sydney this past week. But with wins over Julia Goerges and Wozniacki she made her way to the quarterfinals. She opens against veteran Lourdes Dominguez-Lino and the first seed she'll face is an uninitiated Su-Wei Hsieh. In a section of the draw where no one is really playing her best, it might be the experienced Russian pulling through the first week.

The Cinderella Quarterfinal: Sofia Arvidsson vs. Donna Vekic (both unseeded)

While Sveta is probably the most likely Cinderella here, I'm going to give the nod to a couple ladies who are far from household names. Sofia Arvidsson has climbed pretty close to seeding territory, but still hasn't cracked the elite. But she has notched some big wins in recent months -- Lucie Safarova in Linz, Marion Bartoli and Maria Kirilenko in Moscow, Sam Stosur in Brisbane -- and with rising star Urszula Radwanska the first seed she's slated to meet, the Swede might come out the victor. And Donna Vekic, still outside the top hundred, somehow made her way to a final in Tashkent last year. This is her first Major main draw, so nothing will be easy, but if she can survive U.S. Open standout Andrea Hlavackova and if Caro and Sabine wear each other out, there might be an opening for the Croatian to sneak through.

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Second Quarter

Though there are plenty of great players in this part of the bracket, the top seeds shouldn't have too much trouble early on. Maria Sharapova, who pulled out of Brisbane with a collarbone injury, will begin her quest to reclaim the title here against little known Olga Puchkova. And Angelique Kerber, boasting a fifth seed this year in Melbourne, opens against young Elina Svitolina, the come-from-nowhere winner last year in Pune. Both are the clear favorites and should be able to capitalize on their talent and experience to notch the early wins.

But it may not be long before they face the first challenges. Venus Williams, who climbed her way to a twenty-fifth seeding at the Open, shouldn't have much trouble making her way to a third round meeting with MaSha. And young Kiki Bertens, a quarterfinalist in Auckland after beating Svetlana Kuznetsova and Osaka titleist Heather Watson, might be able to give Kerber a run for the money. And while she's certainly not a big underdog, Dominika Cibulkova's performance this past week in Sydney -- wins over three top-ten women -- shows she might be playing well above her fifteenth seed. She was double-bageled in the final, but is clearly able to do some big things on court.

The Cinderella Quarterfinal: (19) Ekaterina Makarova vs. Kirsten Flipkens

Makarova has pulled off some big wins in Melbourne in the past -- she beat two top-twenty players in 2011 to make the fourth round and stunned Serena Williams last year on her way to the quarters. Now seeded herself, she'll be playing defense rather than offense, but at least she knows how it feels to taste success at a Slam. Meanwhile it might be Flipkens turn to take over the mantle for her native Belgium -- never having won more than two matches at a Slam before, she took a title in Quebec City and followed up by making the quarters in Auckland and the semis in Sydney. She leads off with a match against tricky Nina Bratchikova, and may meet Shenzhen finalist Klara Zakopalova next. But it's wins like these that make a true Cinderella.

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Third Quarter

Now this is where things get interesting. Serena Williams is the clear favorite in this quarter, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for some surprises. She'll open her campaign against veteran Edina Gallovits-Hall, wholly beatable but worrisome nonetheless because she strangely reminds me of the last woman who beat Serena at a Major. The other top seed in this section may have a tougher time -- one-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova kicks off against one-time Roland Garros titleist Francesca Schiavone. Neither is playing at her best, but the Czech has only won match this year, and against a player much less threatening than her Melbourne opponent. If any of the favorites is in real danger from the start, it's this one.

Other seeds could also be challenged early. Hobart semifinalist Sloane Stephens -- shockingly the #4 American in the draw -- is seeded at a Slam for the first time, and as a reward opens against feisty Simona Halep. And Kristina Mladenovic, who won her first two Major matches in New York last summer and went on to the semis in Quebec City as a qualifier and a title in Taipei, could meet Stephens a round later. That's kind of a tough draw for a woman trying to make a play for the elite.

The Cinderella Quarterfinal: (28) Yaroslava Shvedova vs. Laura Robson

Both these ladies have been Cinderellas before, so there's no reason to believe they can't do it again. Shvedova's run during the summer last year made her one of the comeback stories of the season, while Robson rode her momentum to a final in Guangzhou and a career-high ranking. Shvedova is slated for a fairly early meeting with Serena, a rematch of a tough Wimbledon fourth round, while Robson begins against former U.S. Open darling Melanie Oudin, a woman so far less successful in following up on her own fairy tale run. Attention will be high on these two ladies, so it won't be easy to sneak by, but if a few chips fall in their favor, who knows what they can do.

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Fourth Quarter

It's a little fitting that Agnieszka Radwanska and Na Li are in the same quarter this year -- the two have faced off five times over the last six months, with the slightly lower-ranked Li holding a slightly better record. But Aga won the battle of undefeateds last week in Sydney when the Auckland champ took out the Shenzhen winner on her way to another title. But they both have a few matches to win before getting there -- the fourth seeded Pole opens against wildcard Bojana Bobusic, while Li will have to get past Sesil Karatantcheva. But their roads only get tougher from there.

Arantxa Rus has made a habit in recent years of causing upsets at Majors, and while a win over Irina-Camelia Begu wouldn't be a coup, she could give Radwanska a tough time one match later. And Tsvetana Pironkova, who made her breakthrough here in 2006 with a win over Venus Williams, might cause trouble for Julia Goerges in the second round, and maybe even for hometown champion Sam Stosur -- who lost both matches she's played so far this year -- a bit down the road. But players even further off the radar like up-and-comer Coco Vandeweghe and Osaka champion Heather Watson might take their opportunity to shine.

The Cinderella Quarterfinal: (27) Sorana Cirstea vs. (32) Mona Barthel

If either Coco or Watson make good on their potential, this quarterfinal will be precluded from the start, but I'm still rooting for these two to confirm their comeback. Cirstea is still a hair off her career-high ranking, but after the tumble she took the last couple seasons it's nice to see her making the semis in Stanford and Guangzhou in 2012. Meanwhile Barthel, an early breakout last year, had trouble keeping the momentum up. She returned to the final in Hobart this past weekend, though, so there's hope for her yet. They're both on the lower end of the seedings, but if they can find the talent they once displayed so strongly, they might outperform expectations and maybe even ride it to greater heights than they've ever seen before.

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Of course some of these "predicted" quarterfinals are worse than even long shots, but you never know what can happen when the magic of a Major is at play. The best Cinderellas are the ones you never see coming, and there are sure to be plenty of those too in Melbourne.

The favorites are still the favorites, but no one's run to the trophy is set in stone. And if just a couple players are able to cause some waves, we could be in for a very exciting two weeks.

And perhaps one Cinderella will be able to keep his or her dream run going all the way to the end.

Five Things to Look Forward to in 2013

We're just a few days away from the dawn of a New Year, and there's already a lot on the docket for this coming tennis season. After all the excitement and surprises we witnessed over the last twelve months, we should know there's no telling what 2013 will bring for the favorites or the underdogs. From comebacks to breakthroughs to meltdowns to simple ole' shenanigans, there's plenty of opportunity to see some big headlines this year, and the best ones are likely to be those no one can predict.

But while nothing is certain, of course, there are a couple things high on the radar for tennis fans -- some are set in stone, others are wishful thinking, many have kept us holding our breath for months or longer. And each could have a big impact on the sport in 2013 -- good, bad or completely amazing.

So let's look at the five most anticipated events that could, would, or should transpire over the next four seasons.

#5: Monday Night Tennis

Are you ready for some racquetball?!

This year, for the first time, the U.S. Open schedulers have decided to put the men's final on a Monday night -- 5 p.m., to be exact, right during the evening rush hour. It's not that it hasn't happened before -- in fact, rain delays have forced a fifteenth day of play for the last five years -- but this time organizers are making the change at the outset, and feelings are decidedly mixed.

On the positive side, there will finally be a day of rest between the semis and championship match for both men and women -- New York had been the only Major that required back-to-back days of play. Stars like Serena Williams and Andy Murray have both applauded the decision, commending the much-maligned USTA for considering players' concerns. Combining that with the increased prize money at the event -- the total purse will be upped by over fifteen percent to a record $29.5 million -- and it looks like the tournament is making some big changes for the better.

But what's it mean for fans? Once treated to the promise of a Super Saturday, featuring two men's semis and the women's final, the last weekend of play will feature much less action than in years past. The ladies' championship, previously slotted for prime time, will now move to the gridiron, facing off against football's season-opening games on Sunday. And assuming the men's contest outlasts the evening commute -- the last five finals have lasted an average of three hours and forty five minutes -- it could cut in to CBS's Monday-night line-up in the U.S., sparking another wave of irate "How I Met Your Mother" (re-run!) fans to voice their disappointment over Twitter. Outside what it will mean for ratings in an already second-tier (to many) sport, I wonder what the shift means for ticket sales -- ardent fans may happily shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars to spend a weekend evening at Flushing Meadows, but can and will they do it on a workday?

While I'm all for giving athletes sufficient time to recover from what are often long, grueling matches, there might be other ways to accomplish the same thing. Roland Garros, for example, kicks off its fortnight on Sunday instead of beginning first round action Monday morning, and Wimbledon -- even with its Middle Sunday of rest -- manages to space out the championship weekend, albeit with the help of a recently-added retractable roof. The USTA has said it will decide on whether to keep the new schedule in future years once the 2013 Open is over, so at least we'll get to see how much players and fans are affected before anything more permanent is decided. I just hope the changes don't result in tennis being pushed so far out of the spotlight that fans are left in the dark.

#4: The Youngsters Grow Up

Last year was a good one for teenage talent on Tour, but in 2013 we could see how much they'll bring to the table against the big boys.

Some have already done a little to show their worth -- 2010 U.S. Open Juniors champion Jack Sock won the mixed doubles title in New York a year later with fellow phenom Melanie Oudin, and this year the then-nineteen year old made the third round in singles, lasting four sets -- three tiebreaks -- before falling to eleventh seed Nicolas Almagro. Meanwhile Laura Robson, who won the 2008 girls' title at Wimbledon when she was just fourteen, beat Kim Clijsters and Na Li to make the sweet sixteen in the ladies' draw at Flushing Meadows. She's climbed a little higher up the rankings than Sock, who's still hanging out in the mid-hundreds, but both have heightened their expectations for the coming season.

We'll also get a look at a couple other juniors, each of whom has the potential to shine in 2013. Australian Luke Saville and Canada's Filip Peliwo have both won a pair of little Majors, but with each having his nineteenth birthday early in the New Year, expect them to spend most of their time on the adult Tour. Peliwo, champion at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year, ends outside the top five-hundred, but did manage a solid 15-12 record in ITF events, while Saville, also yet to play on the ATP, added a pair of Futures trophies to his collection, ending the season at #348 in the world. They're likely to graduate first into the Challenger events, but if they can pick up a few second-tier titles during the season, it won't be long before they're making strides against the elite.

But perhaps eyes will be most focused on Taylor Townsend, who ended 2012 as the top Junior girl in the world. The sixteen-year-old American kicked off the year with a trophy in Melbourne, but really started making headlines during the fall in New York. Though holding the #1 ranking just before the U.S. Open, she was asked by the USTA to sit out the tournament entirely, with General Manager Patrick McEnroe expressing concern over health, fitness and -- ahem -- weight. The player-development organization refused to pay Townsend's way into the event and didn't grant her wildcards into either the main draw or the qualifying rounds, forcing the young star to bare the expense herself. The ensuing outrage was loud and understandable, but Taylor handled the stress in the best possible way -- she kept on winning. She made the quarterfinals in singles and took home the championship trophy in doubles with partner Gabrielle Andrews, often playing two matches a day to do it. Officially pro as of early this month, the pressure will be on to continue to deliver. But if her performance on the WTA is anything like it's been on and off court to date, she could just take over the mantle U.S. tennis fans have been waiting so long to pass down.

#3: The Rivalries Continue...and Heat Up

Every year as the tennis world evolves and new players start to come into their games, we start seeing a couple of the same names face off time and time again, deep into tournaments, often with trophies, hefty prize money and more than a little pride on the line. We've seen great rivalries come and go -- McEnroe vs. Connors, Graf vs. Seles, Sampras vs. Agassi -- and even a few good ones emerge more recently. But this year might have given rise to a couple that transcended to new heights -- and they weren't always among the sport's elite.

Roger Federer and Andy Murray had battled fourteen times before the year began and the lower-ranked Scot actually held the 8-6 advantage. But the pair raised the stakes in 2012, with Murray getting his first set at a Slam off the recent #1 at Wimbledon and ultimately riding his confidence to Olympic Gold and a U.S. Open title. Roger still is undefeated against Murray at the Majors, though, and turned the tables on his rival with a semifinal win at the London championships. But with both players still going strong as we head into the new season, we could see even better matches in the coming months.

Victoria Azarenka certainly took her rivalry with Serena Williams to a new level this year, finally putting on the show we'd been expecting these two big-hitters to give us. But it was her clashes with one-time bestie Agnieszka Radwanska that took on a more high-intensity tone in 2012. The two, always on the outskirts of the top-tier, had been pretty close -- on the court and off -- before the year began, with the Belorussian holding a slight 5-3 advantage in their head-to-heads. Aggie, though, had won their most recent contest on her way to the Tokyo title in 2011 and took sets off her contemporary both in Sydney and at the Australian Open to start this season. It's been all Vika since then, though -- after getting just two more games in that Melbourne quarterfinal, she didn't win another set. The Pole took offense at Azarenka's apparent gamesmanship in their Doha semi and lost a total of six matches to her former friend through May -- in fact, the only person who could defeat her during the first four-plus months of the year. It's a bit of a shame that two women playing some of the best ball of their careers, reaching #1 and #2 in the world respectively, were so unevenly matched against each other this year -- but when they inevitably take the court against each other in 2013, I'm hoping we see some real fight. Knowing what these two are capable of, there's potential for some big fireworks when they meet.

These weren't the only rivalries that gained steam in 2012, of course -- Murray vs. Nole, Maria vs. Serena, Tomic vs. safe driving, Tipsy vs. women, they all made some headlines this season. But lesser known names caused just as much excitement too. Young Italian Camila Giorgi ends the year at a career-high of just #75 in the world, but that didn't stop her from handing losses to recently-resurgent veteran Nadia Petrova both times they met this year. Meanwhile Martin Klizan, whose breakout in St. Petersburg helped him rise to #30 in the world, nevertheless failed to make any headway against under-appreciated Marin Cilic in any of their three meetings this year. Whether these underdogs are able to keep up their runs, turn their luck around, or broaden out the swath they cut in the new year, could put them on track to really break through in 2013.

#2: Serena Reclaims #1

It's not in the bank, of course, but given her performance since the French Open, it's hard to imagine Serena Williams won't climb back to the top of the sport sometime this season.

After a long absence since winning Wimbledon in 2010, the veteran American fell briefly out of the top one hundred last year. But after some shaky results to start, she stormed back to take the title in Toronto and worked her way to the dramatic final in New York. She began the 2012 season just out of the top ten, and though she didn't win a title through the first three months of the season, once she hit the clay she was on a roll. Yes there was that bizarre outcome at Roland Garros, but Serena was nevertheless 48-2 since losing in the Miami quarters. That run included seven singles titles, two of which came at Grand Slams, Olympic Gold, and my award for "Player of the Year".

Still, even with all that success, Williams ended 2012 at just #3 in the rankings, a little more than 600 points behind long-time rival Maria Sharapova and about one Premier title from overtaking current top dog Victoria Azarenka. There's plenty of opportunity for her to recoup that ground, too -- with so many of her points safe until after the first quarter, and Vika defending so many of her own right off the bat, Serena could easily grab the #1 spot before the month is over. And, unlike with others in a similar position, it's hard to get nervous when she goes out to retain points in the back half of the year -- as long as she's healthy Williams is still the player to beat at pretty much any event she enters. And at thirty-one years of age, she's showing no sign that she's ready to pass that torch onto another player just yet.

Can she win Australia? Most definitely. Could she make a play for her only French Open title since 2002? With the prospect of a Serena Golden Slam on the line, absolutely. Might she end the year at #1? I wouldn't bet against it.

And, the way she's playing, no one else should, either.

#1: Rafa's Return

I don't know when it will happen, but sometime this year, sometime soon I hope, Rafael Nadal will be back on a competitive tennis court.

It's only been seven months since the world saw him -- shockingly, inexplicably -- leave the lawns of the All England Club in defeat, but it seems like so much longer than that. Thanks to his latest knee injury, the former #1 was forced to skip the Olympics, unable to defend the Gold he'd won in Beijing four years earlier, to pass by the entire summer hardcourt season and withdraw from the U.S. Open, where he'd played in the last two finals, and to miss the year-end championship for the first time since 2008, when he was also out of commission. We'd been given hope he'd recover in time to get in a few more shots here and there, but were thwarted over and over again, and a highly-anticipated planned comeback this week at an Abu Dhabi exhibition proved to be another red herring -- the beleaguered Spaniard pulled out on Tuesday because of a stomach bug.

Earlier today Rafa also withdrew from Doha and Melbourne, but even if he's back within a month it might be some time longer before last year's runner-up is really back in top form. Though he has certainly won during this stretch before, the Australian Open is far from his best Major, and he's only made it out of the quarters three times. More likely, he won't hit his stride until the spring when he'll defend all four titles he won in 2012 on the European clay. A couple long win streaks could be on the line, but if anyone can find a way to win on dirt even when playing at less than a hundred percent, it's this guy. And if he can pick up a couple titles during that stretch of the season, Nadal might be able to garner the momentum, confidence and match-play he needs to thrive the rest of the year. With a little less success, he's bound to see a precipitous drop in the rankings come June -- but Rafa's the kind of player that never gives up, and I'd expect him to launch quite the comeback in the second half of the year.

And once he's back, there might be no stopping him.

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With the start of the 2013 season oh-so-close there's, of course, no telling what's in store. But with a couple balls teed up for us already, we can certainly anticipate this year's going to be rife with excitement, surprises, and a whole lot of drama. Whoever comes out on top, whoever takes a bit of a stumble, whoever finds a way to completely wow us, there's going to be a lot to talk about over the next twelve months.

And I, for one, certainly can't wait for it all to start.

The Year of the Brit

It's been a pretty good couple months for UK athletes. First they played host to a successful Olympic Games, winning twenty-nine gold medals in the process. Golf's golden boy Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship and returned to the #1 ranking in the sport. And, maybe most spectacularly, their tennis stars have finally come out of the shadows and taken the spotlight.

It started with perennial also-ran Andy Murray, claiming Gold at the All England Club less than a month after being denied the Wimbledon crown. A few weeks later he ended a seventy-six year Major drought with a stunning win at the U.S. Open.

He wasn't the only Brit making waves in New York, though. Eighteen-year-old Laura Robson might have been the Cinderella story of the tournament, stopping not one, but two Grand Slam champions on her way to the fourth round -- this after teaming with Murray to capture the mixed doubles Silver in London, too. She didn't stop there, however. At a then-high rank of #74 in the world, Robson took out three seeds on the way to her first Tour final in Guangzhou, ultimately losing a hard-fought battle to Su-Wei Hsieh, but chopping another fourteen spots from her ranking.

But perhaps the greatest breakthrough came this past weekend. While Murray lost a tight final to Novak Djokovic in Shanghai, and Robson was ousted in her Osaka third round, often overlooked Heather Watson was making her own move in Japan. Just twenty herself, her previous best performance this year might have come when she took a set off Maria Sharapova in Tokyo -- the only top-thirty player she's ever beaten was Lucie Safarova back in Miami -- but she didn't let her inexperience stop her last week. After defeating sixth-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues in the second round, she sailed until reaching the championship match, stumbling a little against fellow final first-timer Kai-Chen Chang, but finally winning her first trophy in the more than three-hour match.

It wasn't a huge title -- only one player ranked higher than #20 was in the draw -- but it was enough to push Watson into the top fifty as of this week's standings. It was also the first Tour title won by a British woman in twenty-four years, a feat that might match the more headline-grabbing accomplishments of her compatriots. And as she joins the ranks of the many Brits making breakthroughs this year, she might just be ushering in a new era of athleticism in the sport, changing the face of the top ranks in the years to come.

The Comebacks and the Coming Out

This is an interesting period of the tennis season -- with the Majors over and done for the year, casual fans might not pay attention to what's happening on court. But there are still several weeks worth of tournaments left, and there's a lot on the line for players trying to make a statement this year. Some may be trying to reverse several months of less-than-spectacular results, while others are looking to capitalize on recent momentum. And though they've already scored some impressive wins, they might need to raise their game even more at the end of this week.

Caroline Wozniacki came to Seoul with her lowest ranking in over three years and on the heels of two first-round Slam exits. She held onto the top seed this week, but with no titles on the year -- she'd won at least three annually since 2008 -- it seemed the former world #1 was on the downswing. But she came out firing this week, dropping just three games to giant-killer Arantxa Rus in her opener and taking just an hour to oust Caroline Garcia, she who took a set and two breaks from Maria Sharapova at last year's French Open. She'll next meet Klara Zakopalova who hadn't won a match since July, and against whom the Dane holds a solid 2-0 record. If she can hold her ground, it might put her on track to win her first trophy of the year.

But Kaia Kanepi, trying for her own comeback -- again, might stand in her way. After a stellar start to the year, injury sidelined her after Roland Garros. She arguably has had an easier road than Wozniacki in her first tournament back, but with two straight-set wins she seems to have eased her way back into fighting shape. Next up will be Kiki Bertens, another up-and-comer who won her first career title in Fes this past April. The Dutchwoman has pulled off a few upsets this year -- Nadia Petrova in Montreal and Christina McHale at the U.S. Open -- but if Kanepi plays to her full ability, she should be a real contender for this title.

Over in Guangzhou we've seen a couple other players fight their way back into relevance. Sorana Cirstea, once a standout in Paris, has been climbing up the rankings for most of the year, beating Marion Bartoli in Madrid, Na Li at Wimbledon and Sabine Lisicki in New York. She's had a couple of struggles this week, dropping serve four times in her first round and needing a tiebreak to close out her second. But today against Alize Cornet, whose advance in China had been helped largely by retirements of her opponents, the Romanian was on point. Against the former #11 she converted four break opportunities and won a solid seventy percent of her first serves. The win might have given her the confidence she needs to pull out a few more wins.

Unfortunately for the third seed, though, she next faces British teenager Laura Robson. The Olympic Silver medalist has been having a coming out party this summer, beating two former Major champions at the U.S. Open and rising to a career-high ranking of #74 in the world. So far in Guangzhou she's taken out second seeded Jie Zheng and survived a break-fest with Shuai Peng earlier today. Now in her second Tour semifinal -- she got this far in Palermo back in July -- she might actually be expected to get the win. And with her compatriots finally proving they've got the stuff to win, all eyes will be on Robson to deliver too.

It's not over yet, of course, with a few rounds left before winners are crowned, but these ladies' performances so far certainly look encouraging. As former stars look to regain their place at the top of the sport and rising ones climb their way to new heights, it sure looks like we'll get even more depth in the women's game. And while the biggest crowns of the year have already been awarded, it sure looks like they might be in a good position to get next season off on the right foot.

Goodbye, Kim

Earlier this evening the tennis world said goodbye to another great champion for a second time.

Kim Clijsters, playing her final professional event at the U.S. Open, having won the tournament her last three trips to New York, lost in her second round to British teenager Laura Robson. The match displayed everything we've come to expect from the Belgian -- her fight, her talent, her compassion for fellow players, her respect and love for the game. And it ended a career that spanned, in no particular order, fifteen years, forty-one titles, one retirement, four Grand Slams, eight Major finals, multiple injuries, a husband, a daughter, twenty weeks at #1, twenty-two straight wins at the Open, nearly two-hundred thousand followers, and just a couple people sad to see her go.

The outpouring of sentiment only begins to do Kim's career justice. She did more than her part to shape women's tennis at the turn of the century, grinding out powerful groundstrokes, placing un-gettable winners, and running down just about every ball with the help of her signature splits. She challenged and often won against the sport's best, pulling together a 7-6 record against Venus Williams, dominating Serena in that infamous New York semi, and turning the tables on countrywoman and long-time rival Justine Henin in both of their second careers. And in the process she moulded the careers of the players who could one day take her place at the top of the game, players like Robson, who after the biggest win of her career said:

"I want to thank Kim for being such a great role model to me for so many years...She's always been someone that I've looked up to since I started on the tour. She's always been incredibly nice to be around. I think we're all going to miss her."

To say Clijsters left a legacy in the sport is an understatement. She's been an inspiration to both those she faced and those still to come. And while she will have to cede the trophy she's held since 2005, it will be a long time before the courts in New York forget her name. And her reign as a true champion will last forever.

Goodbye, Elena

I know I'm not the only one who's sad that Elena Dementieva is retiring.

While I might have been a little late on the news, the twitterverse virtually exploded around noon today, when the current world #9 announced she'd just played her last professional match at the WTA Championships' against another veteran Francesca Schiavone. For a player casual tennis fans might never have heard of -- a former co-worker used to call her "Dementia" -- suddenly the Russian star was a trending topic, a real talk of the town. Of the globe, really.



Long my favorite player on the women's Tour, in recent years Dementieva has become known as the best athlete without a Grand Slam title -- she made the finals in Roland Garros and New York in 2004 and the semis of all the Majors another six seven times. But that's not to say she hasn't accomplished much in her twelve-plus year career. She cracked the top twenty in 2000 after a trip to the final four at the U.S. Open and has been a staple in the top ten for the better part of the decade. An instrumental part of the Russian Fed Cup team, she became the most consistent force from a country that has only emerged on the tennis scene in the last ten years. Though she counts Olympic gold in Beijing as the biggest accomplishment among her sixteen titles, she's had some unbelievably memorable matches -- I still count that '09 semi against Serena Williams as the savior of women's tennis -- that netted her nothing but a few minutes of coverage on Sports Center.

Yet Dementieva always showed up on court ready to give 150% -- win or lose, she put up a fight in every match. And it was so often a fight. With one of the weakest serves on the Tour, Elena developed one of the best return games out there and could break the toughest opponents several times in a match just to stay on serve. Despite that apparent weakness, over her career she racked up an impressive 575-271 record and notched big wins over some of the winningest champions around. And she certainly didn't allow herself to float off into oblivion before leaving the game -- having won two titles and made two more finals this year, she qualified for the year-end WTA championships for the eighth consecutive time.

And while she may have ruffled a few feathers here and there, the friends she made on Tour far outnumbered the foes. The outpouring of sentiment, from journalists, fans, seasoned vets and up-and-comers alike, shows just what a class act Elena Dementieva really is.



And while I know she will be sorely missed on Tour, I have no doubt that we're all better because of her.

The Teenybopper

While most of us American tennis fans turned our focus to the series of tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open this week, there's still a bunch of action going on in Europe, and this week the world's top-ranked teenaged tennis player made us all aware that she's still one to beat out on the courts.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova began making a name for herself at the end of last year when she beat Venus Williams in back-to-back tournaments, once as a qualifier in Tokyo. This year she made her first Tour championship in Monterrey, winning two matches on that final Sunday to claim the crown. Earlier today she won her second trophy, rallying from a set and two breaks down to beat compatriot Elena Vesnina for the Istanbul title. Now ranked twenty-ninth in the world at just nineteen years of age, Pavlyuchenkova is easily the youngest woman in the top thirty and she seems like she's only going to get better from here.



It's funny when you think of it, that there are so few teens in the top echelons of tennis these days. I remember being somewhat shocked about all the hype around Melanie Oudin received during her run at the U.S. Open last year -- then seventeen years old, she was almost a full year older than Maria Sharapova when she won Wimbledon in 2004 and two years senior to Martina Hingis who won the Australian at just sixteen.

It's no question that the game has changed from even those relatively recent days. There are certainly some young standouts -- Caroline Wozniacki is just out of teen territory and Victoria Azarenka, whose impressive performance in Stanford today won her a fourth career title, took her first three when she was still nineteen. But by and large its the veterans -- Serena and Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, Sam Stosur -- who are really dominating. It could be the age limits, restricting the number of tournaments a Pro plays until she turns eighteen, or it could be that the established players are so strong that "kids" can no longer keep up with them like they could just fifteen years ago.

But the Juniors circuit certainly provides some clues as to who might be a future star. Pavlyuchenkova won three Major girls' titles in 2006 and 2007. More recently, players like Laura Robson and Sloane Stephens are beginning to make strides in the main draws of tournaments after already making names for themselves in the ITF events. Some go off to great things -- Azarenka and Wozniacki were also Junior champions just a few years ago -- some you might not hear of again -- anyone remember Angelique Widjaja who won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in her day?

And if Pavlyuchenkova's performance on Tour so far is any indication, she could be one that comes out on top. With plenty of years left in her career, she's certainly already established herself as a contender, and today's come-from-behind victory just confirms that fact.