Black Tennis Pros

Super-confident American Serena Williams arrived in Australia on Saturday welcoming a potential blockbuster second-round showdown with Justine Henin at the Medibank International Sydney.

“It’s good. It will be a good test for her, and for me,” Williams said.

Americans James Blake and Andy Roddick had their hopes of advancing to the doubles final at the Australian Open Series Brisbane International Tournament dashed as the duo fell to the French pair Jeremy Chardy and Marc Giquel 4-6, 6-3, [11/13].

Serena trains in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010. She will play in the Australian Open Series Sydney International Tennis Tournament in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui (R) and Spanaird Rafael Nadal watch the match between Switzerland's Roger Federer (L) and Russian Nikolay Davydenko during the ATP Qatar Open in the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha on January 8, 2010.
(Photos by Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images)

Just when I'm getting all sucked into the Jo-Wilfried Tsonga mania for the 2009 Australian Open, check this out:

SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Last year’s Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could miss next week’s tournament after a back injury forced him out of the Sydney International on Thursday.

The Frenchman twice needed treatment to his lower back during his quarter-final win over Simone Bolelli on Wednesday and then pulled out of his semi-final against Jarkko Nieminen on Thursday after the problem deteriorated overnight.

“I decided this afternoon because the pain, it’s too much, I cannot play,” Tsonga told a news conference. “I saw my physio a lot yesterday. I saw the physio from the ATP. I saw the doctor and they told me it’s difficult to play like that.

Tsonga, seeded fifth for the Australian Open next week, has been troubled by back problems in the past and was unsure whether he would be able to take his place in the first grand slam of the year, starting in Melbourne on Monday.

“I hope it will not affect me for the Australian Open but I don’t know” he said. “I had a problem with my disc a long time ago and sometimes it happens.

“I just have to wait and come back on the court when I feel better. I can’t do anything for the next two days. I will stay maybe in my bed and hope I will be better.”

Tsonga, 22, was one favourites to win the Australian Open after beating Rafael Nadal to reach last year’s final, which he lost to Novak Djokovic, and winning the Paris Masters in November.

American Serena Williams is free of the hamstring issue that caused her to withdraw from the Hopman Cup and has begun training in preparation for the Australian Open Series Medibank Sydney International Tennis Tournament at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Center, Sydney, Australia, set to begin tomorrow.