Black Tennis Pros

American Serena Williams, decked out in her white and fuschia ensemble, out muscled a very powerful player in Australian Jarmila Gajdosova. Serena started out playing a very organized strategic game, but Gajdosova was going for every shot full power, much to her detriment unfortunately. Players like Gajdosova who play with nothing to lose do end up hitting a number of winners against their opponent. At the same time, a lot of those hail marys end up outside of the court. If she ever organizes those shots and plays with a little more patience, she could be hell to beat. Oh, and exercise that tummy a lil' bit. She has quite a gut.

Technorati Tags: Sports Tennis Australian Open
Serena Williams Australian Open
Jarmila Gajdosova

Women's Singles - Round 1*

Venus Williams, USA vs Zi Yan, CHN
Serena Williams, USA vs Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS

*Ahsha Rolle entered the women's singles qualifying draw, she was eliminated in the first round.

Men's Singles - Round 1*

James Blake, USA vs Nicolas Massu CHI
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs Andy Murray GBR
Donald Young, USA vs Michael Berrer GER

*Scoville Jenkins entered the men's singles qualifying draw, he was eliminated in the third round.

Doubles Draw

Not posted at this time.

It all begins at 7 p.m. (eastern) tonight on ESPN2!

Melbourne hasn't been a happy hunting ground for reigning Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, but she approaches the Australian Open this year in prime form.

The six-time Grand Slam champion will be playing her ninth Australian Open, having made the final in 2003 and the semis in 2001.

But she has struggled here in recent times. She pulled out with a wrist injury last year, was sent packing in the first round in 2006, and failed to get beyond the fourth round in 2004 and 2005.

This, though, could be her breakthrough year after a solid 2007 when she bounced back from injury to win Wimbledon and power her way back into the world's top 10.

She got off to the best possible start this month by winning the JB Group Classic invitational event in Hong Kong this month, crushing Maria Sharapova in the final despite not playing a competitive game since Bangkok last October.

The American, 27, is one of the few players who seems able to win tournaments with minimum preparation and she feels ready for the Grand Slam challenge.

"It is very exciting, especially going into the Australian, playing so well against someone of her calibre," she said after beating Sharapova, who lost to Serena Williams in the Australian Open final last year.

"I knew I was playing well in practice, but a match is different ... to have that competition makes a huge difference," added the world number eight.

"I am so excited to be back playing tennis, this time last year I was not even on tour."

What could come back to haunt her are the injuries that wrecked her 2006 and cut short her 2007 campaign.

During the Hong Kong tournament she received treatement for back and hamstring problems as well as a recurrence of the persistent wrist injury which forced her to miss last year's trip to Melbourne.

But she is confident she can cope.

"I think every athlete has a certain tolerance for pain, I can't say mine is extremely high, but I felt good enough for the match (against Sharapova)," she said.

As well as Wimbledon, Williams won in Memphis and Seoul last year to take her tournament title tally to 36, the third most prolific winner among active players, behind only Lindsay Davenport and Justine Henin.

Ranked eight in the world, one behind sister and defending champion Serena, Williams' dominant serve, which twice reached 128mph last season, bettering her own Tour record of 127mph set in 1998, is her killer weapon.

When not playing tennis, she runs her own company, V Starr Interiors, in Florida, and graduated from design college late last year, one of the few current tennis players to have a degree.

As well as singles, she will team with sister Serena to play doubles here.

The pair have not played together at the Australian Open since they won the title for the second time in three years in 2003.

Organisers said because injuries have sidelined them from playing in doubles events for so long they now have a nominal ranking of 9999.

In all the sisters have won six majors (Wimbledon and Australian Open twice, US and French) and an Olympic gold medal in Sydney in 2000.

Technorati Tags: Sports Tennis Australian Open
Venus Williams

This is another post direct from Serena's diary at Serena Williams The Official Site. It seems that she's in a very contemplative mood right now, it's nice. She entitled it Dreams.

Having become just the second unseeded woman since 1969 to win the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup last year, Serena Williams could be entitled to feeling like she has a target on her back heading into the 2008 tournament.

Not that that will worry the 26-year-old American, who will be seeking a fourth Australian Open title when the event gets underway on Monday.

"Last year I was completely under the radar and had absolutely no expectations from anyone and that really made me want to kind of prove everyone wrong," Williams said.

And so she did.

Entering the event ranked 81st in the world following six months out of the game during 2006, Williams proved her critics wrong with wins over No.5 seed Nadia Petrova, No.11 Jelena Jankovic, No.16 Shahar Peer and No.10 Nicole Vaidisova before crushing top seed Maria Sharapova 6-1 6-2 in the final.

And while expectations this year will be high, Williams said she wasn't feeling any pressure.

"This year it's completely opposite (to last year) where I have … a lot of expectations but I'm still here for me more than anything," she told reporters following a practice session with sister Venus.

"I don't feel any pressure at all. I am excited to be here. I just feel like I'm having so much fun every day.

Williams, the No.7 seed, will take on Australian Jarmila Gajdosova in the first round.

She also reserved special praise for 31-year-old Lindsay Davenport, who gave birth to a boy, Jagger Jonathan Leach, seven months ago.

"She looks better than me!" Williams laughed.

Sports

Tennis

Australian Open

Serena Williams

Press Conference

It is absolutely amazing what a lil' baby oil will do for a fella!

Ahem, *cough, cough* moving right along,.......Stylish, injury-hit Frenchman Gael Monfils has withdrawn from the Australian Open, his coach Thierry Champion says.

The former world junior number one has not played competitively since September due to an injury to his left hand.

He had been due to return to action at this week's Sydney International but has been forced out this time because of a knee injury.

Doctors advised him to rest for a longer period and the decision was taken to skip the Australian Open.

Monfils has targeted the ATP tournament in Marseille which starts on February 11, for his return.

Sports

Tennis

Gael Monfils

This post is taken directly from Serena's Diary at Serena Williams' Official Site. It's a very personal post from Serena, but she obviously wanted to share her feelings with her fans, these are her words verbatim.






Stand In These Shoes (I'm Sure You Have Before)

You just start dating a guy. He likes you, you like him. You guys want to spend every second together. When you are not with him you are talking to him on the phone. You have deep feelings for him. The feelings keep developing. They keep growing. You begin to think this could be it. You begin to think I really think this is it for me..... You love being together. You can't stand being without each other. You start to feel like you have never felt before, and you do things for him you have never done before. He tells you he doesn’t want to be with you and only you. He tells you he adores you. He tells you u guys were meant for each other. You care for him. You are falling for him. You take things slow. You don't want to make any mistakes. You go slower with him than you have ever done before. You don't rush to introduce him to your friends, let alone anyone else. You want it to be right. You are feeling this and you feel this could mean something. He communicates with you. He thanks God you are in his life. You guys have fun together. You laugh together. He talks about being and becoming serious with you. He talks about his desire to love you one day. He talks about he can't imagine not being with you. You think he's falling in love with you. But you can't be 100% sure. You guys have not said that sacred 4 letter word that starts with an "L". But you feel it deep deep in you. Deeper than you have in a long time.

You ask him "are we moving too fast"? He replies "We are just following our hearts." You start to trust him. Something you have not done since your first heart break. How long ago was that? You wonder. Trust is something you vowed you would never do again. But slowly your heart comes out of its steel enclosure. You feel like you can trust him. You feel as if everything you went though was for a reason. And the reason was to meet him. Days turns into weeks. And he tells you about the connection you guys have in each others hearts.

Weeks turns into months and you slowly start to wean the other guys in your life out. And than it happens. No not the "L" word. But what you have been most afraid of. What deep in your heart you have been afraid to confront. What you always suspected would happen one day sooner or later. HE STOPS CALLING. You panic. But you try to stay calm. He did this before when you first started talking, but u tried to forget it. You knew u should have not forgotten. But u tried to ignore it. He disappears for a week with no phone call. No answer to yours no nothing. Finally you hear from him. You want to rage you want to scream you want to cry. But you can't help you heart from feeling a tad bit happy.

As you begin to ask him what happened he stops you. He says "I need space". You cringe at these words. This is the very reason you begin to think why your heart was in that steel enclosure. The reason you don't put your emotions your feelings, your heart into it. Because one day it always turns in to this day. But you are already too far out you are at the point of no return, you can't come back. You can't believe, although a piece of you does believe it. Space. How many time have you heard this before? Space? Wasn’t you giving him enough? Space. Hummm you laugh because its so ridiculous. You laugh because again u knew this day would come. Why did you not listen to that little voice inside your hear telling you to "watch out". "Be careful". You laugh only because tears won't come.

You know its not you, but u cant help but look at that man in the mirror. You can't help but pick yourself apart. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? And again and again you can't come up with the answer. Slowly as you try to focus on other things and think of other people you put you heart back into that steel case.

Tears finally come and they make you feel a little better, but the pain is piercing through your soul. The pain never hurts as bad as the first time. . But all the same you can't help but feel hopeless, foolish. Your great chance to be with your soul mate has again somehow slipped and failed.

But eventually you know you will pick yourself up. Eventually you know you will try again. And eventually you know you will find the keys to you heart, but also in the back of your mind you think.... Will it happen again.