2008 Champions of the Year

2008 Australian Open Champion 

Maria Sharapova

2008 French Open Champion

Ana Ivanovic 

2008 Wimbledon Champion 

Venus Williams

2008 Olympic Medalists

Gold: Elena Dementieva (Center)

Silver: Dinara Safina (Left)

Bronze : Vera Zvonareva (Right)

2008 US Open Champion 

Serena Williams

Sony Ericsson WTA Championships Champion 

Venus Williams

Sharapova withdraws from exibition

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the exibition at Hong Kong, which is just weeks before the Australian Open that she has to defend.

The three-time Grand Slam champion withdrawed from the exibition because her shoulder was not in proper form yet.

"I'm just not ready to play against the top-class competition in Hong Kong, although I remain hopeful for Australia where I'm the defending champion," Sharapova said in a statement.

"Maria just needs to get 'tennis fit' now and she's working hard," Sharapova's agent, Max Eisenbud, said.

Pierce hopes to keep playing in the future

Mary Pierce is still hoping she can play some matches in the future, and not to hang the racket up on the wall.

The Frenchwoman last played in 2006, as she was held back by a knee injury, but she says that she would like to compete at the French Open again.

"I care about Roland Garros. If I could stand in center court for one match, that would already be a big victory," she said.

"I don't feel it's the right moment (to announce my retirement)," she told L'Equipe, adding that her left leg is weak but tests indicate her knee has recovered.

Pierce, who will turn 34 in January next year, won the French Open once in 2000, and the Australian Open once in 1995.

McHale earns wildcard in Aussie Open

16-year old Christina McHale earned a wildcard in the upcoming Australian Open after winning to Gail Brodsky in straight sets, 61 60, at Boca Raton, FL, after going 3-0 in the round robin.

The American is ranked No. 337 in the world currently, and this is her first time in the main draw of a Grand Slam event .

Ivanovic already getting ready in Australia for '09 season

Ana Ivanovic has already begun to prepare for the new up-coming season, as she is running kilometers in the town of Noosa with her Australian fitness partner Scott Byrnes.

The Serb said she is looking forward to the season, and has started to prepare and get ready for the Grand Slams and other major tournaments that will be happening in the year throughout.

Dokic earns wildcard at Aussie Open

Jelena Dokic achieved a wildcard for the Australian Open after beating Monica Wejnert in three sets, 67(3) 75 63, on Sunday at a playoff.

The 25-year-old former Wimbledon semifinalist was 3-0 down in the first set, but managed to recover to get to a tiebreak, where she lost it 7-3, but eventually win the match.

Now, the Serb will try to qualify for the two tournaments before the first Grand Slam of the year, at Brisbane and Hobart.

“I don’t have to worry about the Australian Open now,” Dokic said. “I came into here wanting to play qualifying but to be in the main draw gives me two tournaments before the Open to play.”

Keothavong to lead British team in 2009 Fed Cup

British No. 1 Anne Keothavong was chosen to lead the British team at the 2009 Fed Cup, and they will play their first matches in Estonia.

The Brit is now No. 60 in the world, and the team will also include Melanie South, Elena Baltacha and Sarah Borwell.

"It's been a great year for the girls at the top end of the British game," said GB captain Nigel Sears.

"I felt almost spoilt for choice in picking the team to travel to Estonia."

"With Anne Keothavong being ranked 60 in the world and Mel South being right on the edge of the top 100, we are straight away in a stronger position than last year."

Britain lost three of their four ties at the same event in 2008 but avoided relegation with a 2-0 win over Portugal.

Breaking News: Davenport pregnant, will miss Aussie Open

Linsday Davenport has announced that she is pregnant, and is withdrawing from the Australian Open which is starting in January.

The former world No. 1 gave birth last year to her son, Jagger. Then the American returned to the tour, but hasn't played a tournament since the US Open in August

"Of course this unexpected but exciting surprise now means I will be putting tennis on hold for the foreseeable future," Davenport said in a statement issued Wednesday by her agent.

Jankovic, Nadal honored with best seasons by ITF

Top seeds Jelena Jankovic and Rafael Nadal were honored on Wednesday by the ITF for the best seasons this year.

Jankovic, along with Nadal, finished the year at the top, although Jankovic didn't win any Grand Slams, and Nadal won two.

“I worked really hard this year and to finish No. 1 is where I want to be and where I want to stay,” Jankovic said.

The choices for the winners of the award in the WTA and ATP Tour are chosen by the conclusions of the players performances in the Grand Slams, regular tournaments, along with Fed Cup and Davis Cup, and the Olympics.

“Both (Nadal and Jankovic) are excellent ambassadors for their countries, for whom they have achieved considerable success both as individuals and in the ITF team competitions,” ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said.

Grass court season to test new roof in May

The first match in the grass court season will be played under a new retractable roof, which is nearly two months before the Grand Slam at Wimbledon itself.

The event will be held on May 17 to test the new technology, the All England Club said on Tuesday.

The sliding roof will help alleviate Wimbledon’s perennial rain delays. Tickets will be sold to the event, but details have yet to be announced.

“We plan to recreate normal playing conditions,” Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said.

The Daily Mail newspaper reported that four-time Wimbledon semifinalist Tim Henman, who retired in 2007, may take part in the opening event.

The traditional roof overhang on Centre Court was removed after the 2006 tournament, leaving the grass surface more open to the elements in 2007. The overhang was back in 2008, along with 1,200 extra seats.

Wimbledon will be held June 22-July 5.

Schnyder hits 30

Today, another Swiss Miss celebrated her birthday on the 14th of December, as she hit the age of 30 after turning pro 14 years ago.

Patty Schnyder is now on counted as a tennis playing veteran, which means that Lindsay Davenport, Jill Craybas and Tamarine Tanasugarn are not the only aged 30 and up players on the tour.

Earlier this year, the Swiss also marked her 500th win of a match on Pro Tour after she defeated Tamira Paszek, which makes her the 26th player to ever have so much wins.

"I never thought I'd play 500 matches, let alone win that many," Schnyder said after her Bali win. "I'm very proud of my career and I can keep improving, even at my age. Here I am knocking on the door of the Top 10 again, it's amazing. I wonder myself how much longer I can go. It's a great surprise and I hope I keep surprising myself." One of her stated goals is to return to Bali next year as one of the qualifiers for the new Tournament of Champions.

Schnyder also made some more impressing things this year, such as finishing in the Top Ten at the end of the year, reaching high steps of the tournaments in Bali, Gold Coast, Roland Garros, and the US Open.

Venus, Serena Join Luczo Dragon Charity Drive

The Williams sisters may earn a lot for themselves on the tennis court, but that has always complemented an immense amount of charitable work off the court. Recently, the sisters continued to demonstrate their giving ways by taking part in the annual Luczo Dragon charity drive.

Every year, Luczo Dragon - an IndyCar Series racing team - gets together with a dozen athletes to deliver resources and awareness to charitable organizations across the world. The initiative has raised over $1 million in the last two years, including over $500,000 this year. The partnership with 12 athletes is symbolic of their No.12 Symantec car; together, they donate to charities supported by the athletes taking part. The program was started by team owners Steve Luczo and Jay Penske to raise money, increase exposure for the sport of racing and encourage a philanthropic spirit that will inspire others.

Davenport announces return to Aussie Open

Three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport announced that she will return to the Tour at the 2009 Australian Open, after not playing a tournament since the U.S Open in August.

The 32-year-old American took a break from the Tour after giving birth to a boy named Jagger, in June 2007.

"We are really excited that she has entered," tournament director Craig Tiley said Thursday. "She is a world-class player and a great ambassador for our sport."

Davenport won the Australian Open in 2000, as well as the U.S Open in 1998 and Wimbledon in 1999.

Serena out of Hopman Cup due to injury recoverment

Serena Williams has withdrawn from next year's Hopman Cup in January due to recovering from a hamstring injury which occured at the year ending Sony Ericsson Championships.

Williams, ranked second, said that she is still going to play in the Australian Open, even though the Hopman Cup is three weeks before the first Grand Slam of the year.

Meghann Shaughnessy will replace Serena in the mixed-team tournament, partnering with James Blake, a two-time champion. Serena has previously won the Hopman Cup with Blake in 2003.

Marat Safin has confirmed that he will team up with sister Dinara Safina, ranked third, for the Russian team.

Martina finishes as finalist on TV show

Martina Navratilova's hopes of winning the game show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! came to a close, after she was awarded with a runner-up trophy, the winner being former Eastenders actor Joe Swash.

"I learnt that I can adjust pretty well to just about any situation, and that I can go into a room full of people and just make friends," said Martina about the I’m a Celebrity experience. "I was always very shy and I'm not a mingler. Here we were all in the same boat."

"It was tough, I was out of breath but I was so determined to get every star and not drop one, I almost did drop one", she said. "The camp will be happy, it's been a while since they had a full meal." Once back at the camp, she kept her eager, hungry campmates in suspense. "Hold your horses, that was rough man, I was in a harness suspended over a pond so... I got a perfect 10!" she told her delighted campmates.

She was also successful at another trial entitled Fill Your Face, which had her wear a large glass helmet which was then filled with grasshoppers, cockroaches, spiders and snakes. "Piece of cake so far," she said to the show’s hosts Ant and Dec, as 50 grasshoppers were poured onto her head. Things got tense as the spiders and snakes were added, but Martina withstood it all to win another dinner for her camp. "I did it!" she exclaimed after the helmet was removed. "They were biting me and they bit my nose and made me cry."

Always gracious in defeat, Martina sung the praises of the newly crowned King of the Jungle. "I'm happy for Joe, really," she said. "You can't compete with EastEnders!" And Swash had nothing but kind words for Martina, deeming her an unsung hero, kind and a true champion. Hugging her after the results, he said: "You're my Queen, darling."

Top 10 highest paid tennis players listed

The top 10 highest payed tennis players, both men and women, are finally listed:

1. Roger Federer


Is he the best tennis player of all times? Probably yes but time will tell. He is though the most well paid tennis player with 41,8 million dollars in prizes.



2. Maria Sharapova


The beautiful Russian has made some great deals and became one of the top paid with 26millions in her pocket.





3. Rafael Nadal


The top seed Spaniard is the new Olympic Gold medalist and one of the top paid with $18 million.





4. Andy Roddick


The American player has an ongoing deal with Lacoste and 15 million $ in his account.





5. Venus Williams


With 5 Wimbledon titles and $15 million, she is definitely one of the best and top paid tennis players of the year.




6. Serena Williams


Like her sister she got an impressive 15million $ total in prizes this year and is ranked among the top ranked players.




7. Justine Henin


Although she shocked the tennis world by retiring surprisingly, Henin still earned $10 million dollars in prize money.




8. Novak Djokovic


The Serb player with the killer forehand, number 3 in the world ranking is among the top paid with 9.5 millions.




9. Ana Ivanovic


Ana was the first Serb to win the French Open, and she earned 8 million dollars with all of her wins.





10. James Blake


Although he left Harvard in order to become a tennis player, Blake did extremely well! He is among the top paid with 7.5million $ and some great deals with Nike and Evian.

Serena's dress for Australian Open revealed

This pink Nike dress is what Serena Williams is supposed wear at the 2009 Australian Open. I know the model isnt really the same body shape as Serena Williams, but it is good to see that Nike is moving back towards a more classic style.

Sharapova's dress for first Grand Slam of 2009 unveiled

Maria Sharapova is expected to defend her Australian Open title in the Nike dress shown in the first picture. The asymmetrical white outfit is what the Russian is supposed to wear after the 2009 Australian Open.

Ivanovic purchases 4.5 million euro villa in Mallorca, Spain

Ana Ivanovic has officially purchased a 4.5 million euro villa in Mallorca, Spain. It contains 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.

Ivanovic, as the winner of the French Open and chosen the most beautiful sportsman of the year, obviously can afford such a property, which covers 5900 square meters.

The property includes a project to a spa and a house east of additional guests, who can add other 750 m2 to the surface and habitable. The villa has two levels: the ground floor consists of a room of about 130 m2, open kitchen with breakfast area, master bedroom with dressing room and bathroom. On the first floor are 4 bedrooms with terrace and three bathrooms, two of which are en suite. It also includes a separate staff apartment with bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen. Ever since last summer Ana Ivanovic was a few weeks on holiday in Majorca, the Serbian tennis player fell in love with the island and searched a house to buy. During that first visit, Ivanovic made a choice to purchase a villa, also in Son Vida, through the real estate Kühn & Partner, but negotiations not fruitful. On this occasion, the tennis player has done the operation with another real estate agent.

Sharapova is ready for 2009, agent says

Maria Sharapova has had a hard time with injuries in 2008, but her agent, Max Eisenbud, says that everything is going well and on track, as Sharapova will start the season off with an exibition tournament.

“She’s doing good,” Eisenbud said in a telephone interview. “Everything’s on track.”

Sharapova has not played on the tour since pulling out of Montreal in late July after winning a match which lasted nearly three hours and in which Sharapova made 17 double faults.

Medical tests later found that the Russian had a torn rotator cuff tendon.

The injury forced Sharapova to miss the Beijing Olympics and the US Open, breaking her streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam appearences since Australian Open 2003.

The injury also meant that the 21-year-old would slide in rankings, as she finished the year at No. 9.

How the stars shined in the rankings in 2008

Players showed the most of 2008, flying from being Top 40 and 30 to become Top 20 and even 10. These are just part of a list of the ones who did it.

Dinara Safina: from No. 15 to No. 3

Before 2008, the Russian had three Top 20 year finishes under her belt, and she was destined for even more, as she began her breakthrough after beating Justine Henin in Berlin and winning her first Tier I tournament there. Everyone was also surprised to see her competing in the final of the French Open with eventual champion Ana Ivanovic. Her fire didn't burn out on that spot, as she went on to win two Olympus US Open Series tournaments, which gave a a special bonus prize money reward. The 22-year-old also achieved a Silver Medal at the Olympics in Bejing, and although she failed to win a single round robin match in the year ending Championships in Doha, she still is and will be a great player in the name of history.

Elena Dementieva: from No. 11 to No. 4

Dementieva has had a great 2008 season, and having achieved a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics and being included in the Top 20 at the end of the year ever since, she didn't fail to do the same this year, making an even better result at the Olympics, and finishing in the Top 10. Some people say that her best year was in 2004, when she reached both the French Open and the US Open finals and finished the year at No. 6, but some say that her best days are over. Although this year, she proved people wrong, as she won the Olympics and at Luxembourg later in the year, and also got to her first ever Sony Ericsson Championships semifinal ever. For the first time in her career, the Russian said she feels sorry that the seaon is over.

Vera Zvonareva: from No. 23 to No. 7

Zvonareva's first entry into the Top 10 came in 2004, when she won her first ever career title and reached the round of 16 in three of four Grand Slams. Even though an injury kept the Russian away from the tour in 2005 and landed her on the No. 42 spot at the end of the year, Vera still didn't give up to reach the Top 20 and even 10, as she was picking up her form and confidence in the past two years to be where she is now. Her signs of revival came in Autumn of 2007 and at the start of 2008, when she reached the final of Hobart, which was her highest result in that tournament. Though she was forced to retire due to a ankle injury sustained when practicing, tournament wins were still to come at Prague and Guangzhou, where she was top seed in both tournaments. A Bronze Medal awaited the 24-year-old at the Olympics, and she also reached big finals in Doha, Charleston, Moscow and Linz. If she can keeps up her confidence and form in the approaching time, her future will certainly be bright.