The Australian summer tennis series is upon us once again. For most players the Australian Open is one of the toughest tournaments of the year due to several factors.
First of all many players use the last month of the year to take a break from the tour and their hectic travel schedules. As a result many players struggle physically to cope after this extensive layoff. To add to the drama most players are coming out of the cold winter conditions of Europe and the USA and straight into extremely hot weather conditions of the Aussie Open.
The Australian Open is notorious for players having to forfeit matches due to heat exhaustion. As a result there is a great opportunity for those players who may be inferior when it comes to talent but possess superior fitness levels.
The Australian open has undergone some major changes but none more so that the new surface that has been laid down. The green colour of the rebound ace courts have been replaced by the blue Plexi-cushion surface. Only time will tell as to the playability of the new surface. So far in the lead up tournaments in the Hopman Cup and also in Adelaide the feedback has been positive from the players.
From the men's draw the favourite is of course Roger Federer who has proven to be a class above the other players especially in the Grand Slam tournaments. He should follow up again with another win after his emotional victory last year.
A record number of tennis fans will once again flock to Melbourne Park to brave the extremely hot weather conditions. Tennis Australia has already stated that they will not tolerate any of the fan misbehaviour as was seen last year. There were violent clashes between various groups last year including the Serbians and Croatians. There will be a strong police presence throughout the tennis complex to prevent this from happening again.
When it comes to tickets the night sessions are still very popular and always showcase the top players in action. The best ticket during the grand slam is the "Grounds Pass" for the first week where you can get courtside and watch some of the great matches on the outside courts. It is during the second week that most of the outside matches consist of the juniors, mixed doubles and veterans' matches.
Roger Federer's chance of winning all four grand slam tennis titles starts here in Australia. His preparation was suppose to start at the Kooyong Classic but he was a late withdrawal due to illness. Federer would have had some valuable match play against his fellow top players such as Andy Roddick, Fernando Gonzalez, David Nalbandian, Tommy Haas, Andy Murray, Ivan Ljubicic and the crowd favourite Marat Safin. The Kooyong Classic will be the first opportunity for many of the players to test out the new surface of Plexi-cushion which has replaced the controversial rebound ace.
The Australian Open always produces some great matches and we look forward to another great tournament this year. Of course it is Federer's tournament to win but there will be some players trying to knock him off. Some of the players to watch out for include Roddick, Murray, Hewitt and Gonazalez.
On the women's side Justine Henin is coming off another top year but will definitely face some tough competition from the William's sisters, Maria Sharapova and the veteran Lindsay Davenport. With hot conditions predicted it will be interesting to see if Sharapova experiences the same heat exhaustion that she succumbed to last year. Davenports' experience will get her through to the later stages of the tournament but fitness may be questioned when it comes to being able to win seven matches in a row.
Overall the Australian Open brings in record crowds and provides for some great entertainment not only to the die hard tennis fans but also those who enjoy the social experiences that are found at the open. Live music, great food and plenty of entertainment always attracts a diverse group of spectators.
Related Articles
Another Breathtaking Battle on the Hard Courts at the US Open – Djokovic Vs Stepanek
By: Claudia Beckford | 03/09/2007 | Sports and Fitness
US Open
The Rise Of Maria Sharapova
By: Jonathon Hardcastle | 11/11/2006 | Business
Although she is no longer the number one tennis player in the world, Maria Sharapova is still absolutely the most famous and most watched female tennis superstar as well as the world's highest paid female athlete.
Wimbledon 2008 Mens Final - How Nadal Really Beat Federer
By: David Horne | 07/07/2008 | Sports and Fitness
Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in a classic Wimbledon final that had it all from rain delays, come backs, brilliant shots to the crowning of a new Wimledon champion.
Russia Wins the Fed Cup With an Unexpected Guest in the Sidelines
By: Claudia Beckford | 19/09/2007 | Sports and Fitness
Russia won its third Fed Cup title in four years the last Sunday, but the team had an unexpected participant. Maria Sharapova, currently with an injured shoulder and who has never played a Fed Cup for Russia before, was cheering up the team from the sidelines.
Tennis Princess Maria Sharapova
By: Regina | 05/03/2008 | Sports and Fitness
Age is not a factor. That's what the young Russian tennis player, Maria Sharapova, proved to the world when she became the third youngest Wimbledon women's champion in 2004 and World No.1 in 2005. "A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things they never thought possible."
Ana Ivanovic - the New Wta World Number One
By: Claudia Beckford | 11/06/2008 | Extreme Sports
So Paris has a new queen and her name is Ana Ivanovic; her tennis history begins in Belgrade, Serbia where she was born 20-years ago…her early days in the sport were very difficult due to the constant war issues her country was going through but none of this could stop Ana from achieving her dream to become a professional tennis player. By the age of 5 she was already practicing tennis and some years later in 2004 Ana made her debut at the Junior Wimbledon tournament where she caught the attenti
Roger Federer Reaches For The Stars
By: Kadence Buchanan | 15/10/2006 | Business
If there's one tennis player today who exhibits the stuff that legends are made of, it has to be the current men's world number one player, Roger Federer of Switzerland.
Monte Carlo Open Winner - Nadal's Third Straight Title
By: Julie Smith | 28/04/2007 | Sports and Fitness
Once again Nadal bitted World Number One Roger Federer extending his Open Era in Monte Carlo Masters Series. The double French Open champion who has not lost on the slow surface since 2005 became the second player to win three straight titles in the principality.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Woman's Tennis Association's Priorities
By: twincitiesmark | 08-05-2008
I though playing tennis was more important then a photo shoot. Does the Woman's Tennis Association have its priorities backwards when it comes to Maria Sharapova?
What country does Sharapova represent?
By: sammyperl | 03-02-2008
Does Maria Sharapova usually play tennis for the USA or Russia? I thought that she was from Russia but moved to the US and played for the US. Today though, she was playing against Israel for Russia. Can someone enlighten me on this subject?
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Sports and Fitness Articles
Thin Thighs Exercise Program
By: Richard Wooldridge | 19/07/2008
Have you ever looked at those gorgeous actresses and models and thought there's no way an average woman could ever look like that with those beautiful legs? Have you ever wondered how terrific it would be if you could sculpt a pair of sexy thin thighs like they all seem to have? Is it possible for the average woman to achieve that incredible shapely lower body that women and MEN dream about?
7 Lower Abdominal Workout Tips
By: Charles Inniss | 19/07/2008
Here are 7 tips to work your lower abdominal muscles.
Get In Shape Get That Fitness Routine
By: Amit Kheterpal | 18/07/2008
Fitness routine as most of us would understand is those fitness classes in the gym every day for one to two hours. This is the standard notion and it is correct to some extent as fitness is usually associated with working out.
Who Plays Online Bingo?
By: Simone Wright-Eddison | 18/07/2008
Whenever we think of bingo players, one image comes to mind. It might be our grandmothers and grandfathers in rocking chairs and canes socializing with people their age group while playing bingo games in a hot, stuffy and smoky bingo hall.
Thankfully online bingo is gaining popularity which smashes the image...
Bingo 101: Getting to Know the Basics of the Game
By: Simone Wright-Eddison | 18/07/2008
Bingo is a game. More specifically it is a game of chance. In playing bingo, numbers are drawn and called out and you need to match the numbers called to your bingo card. Bingo cards are numbers in grids. There are 5 columns; each column represents one letter in the...
Stimulating the Mind: Healthy Benefits of Playing Bingo
By: Paul Eddison | 18/07/2008
We live in a society that is obsessed with staying and looking young. There are a lot of diets, dietary supplements and surgery out there in the market that promises to do that for us. So what is the connection between bingo and staying young? There must be a reason...
Strategies in Playing Online Bingo
By: Simone Wright-Eddison | 18/07/2008
We all know that bingo is a game of chance. In order to win a game, you have to be lucky to do so and rely less on your technical and mental skills.
Playing bingo is quite simple. You just need to mark the called numbers on your bingo card and...
Learn the Bingo Lingo
By: Simone Wright-Eddison | 18/07/2008
As with any other game or sport, there are always certain words and terminologies that are coined by the players. These words will later catch on to other players and some of the words might even be used as a legitimate terminology to describe something that's related to the game.
If...
Sports and Fitness 
