Month of January , 2010

They'll be the tournament's odd couple on the court but emerging US youngster Melanie Oudin believes she and teammate John Isner can be a threat in the mixed teams Hopman Cup, starting on Saturday.

The Americans are seeded seventh in the unique eight-nation event, but Oudin showed at last year's US Open and Wimbledon that she was more than capable of springing a surprise.

All eyes will be on Belgian comeback queens Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters when the second Brisbane International tennis tournament begins on Sunday.

Former world number one Henin is using the Brisbane tournament to launch her return to professional tennis, while Clijsters will be out to maintain the momentum of her 2009 comeback, which breathed new life into the women's professional tour thanks to her win at the US Open in August.

Andy Murray hopes the decision to skip his title defence in Doha will help his chances of securing a first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

The British number one has won the Doha title for the last two years, but will instead partner Laura Robson at the Hopman Cup in Australia from 2 January.

Murray hopes this will give him time to acclimatise to the Australian heat.

"I'm looking forward to getting to Australia early and making sure I'm over the jet lag," he said.

If Andy Murray's only motivation at this time of the year was to collect petrodollars, he surely would have returned to the Middle East, joining Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at this week's semi-serious exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, and then moving on, with the Swiss and the Spaniard, to next week's ranking tournament in Qatar.

Though Murray was unbeaten in the sheikdoms last season, and started the Australian Open as the bookmakers' favourite, he was the only one of the top eight seeds who failed to make the quarter-finals.

What, where and when; all the tennis tournaments over the next year.

Key dates

Australian Open (Melbourne) Jan 18-31
French Open (Paris) May 23-June 6
Wimbledon June 21-July 4
US Open (New York) Aug 30-Sept 12
ATP World Tour Finals (O2 Arena, London) Nov 21-28

Level-headed teen sensation Caroline Wozniacki has set herself a conservative but very attainable goal of breaking into the world's top three next year following a breakthrough 2009 for the world number four.

The 19-year-old is the youngest player in the world's top 39 following a storming season which culminated in the Dane reaching a first grand slam final at the US Open.

World number one Roger Federer lost his opening match of 2010 as he crashed out of the Abu Dhabi World Challenge to Robin Soderling.
Federer won the first set on a hard-fought tie-break before Soderling came back to claim his first ever career victory over the Swiss player in a 6-7(6) 7-6(1) 6-2 triumph.

World number eight Soderling - who lost to Federer in the final of last year's French Open - was thrillled to have beaten Federer at the 13th time of asking.

"I always said the more times I play him, the closer I'll get, and here I am today," he said.

Rafael Nadal beat his Spanish Davis Cup teammate David Ferrer 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to secure a place in the final of the Capitala World Tennis Championships at the Zayed Sports City Friday.

Lleyton Hewitt says he is injury-free and ready to continue his move up the rankings as he prepares to play for Australia at the Hopman Cup beginning Saturday.

“I’ve been doing the hard yards on and off the practice court,” Hewitt said. “I feel as fit as I’ve ever been and I feel as strong as I’ve ever been and I’m hitting the ball well at the moment.”

Robin Soderling celebrated the New Year by claiming his first victory over Roger Federer at the 13th attempt, finally seeing off the world number one 6-7 7-6 6-2 at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

The Swede had lost all 12 of his previous meetings with the current world number one, including a straight-sets defeat at last year's French Open final.

Belgium's Justine Henin believes a shock Australian Open win is "possible" after her brief retirement, and warned she would be a better player when she returns to the circuit next week.

Seven-times Grand Slam champion Henin said a more mature, relaxed outlook would help her improve on the performances that took her to women's number one before her surprise decision to retire in May 2008.

Clijsters, Henin, the Williams sisters, beware! Jelena Jankovic is eager and ready to enter another big battleground of the WTA tennis tour in 2010. The Serb’s focus in the new year will be on the number one rankings position, as well as on winning a first Grand Slam title of her career. Jankovic has been working on improving her game in the past couple of months, in order to improve on her current, unsatisfactory position number eight in the WTA rankings.

Jelena Dokic says she's striking the ball better now than she was 12 months ago during her inspirational run at the Australian Open.

Australia's second highest-ranked female player behind world No. 13 Sam Stosur arrived on Thursday to launch her season at the Brisbane International.

World number 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been forced to pull out of the Qatar Open because of a wrist injury, hampering the Frenchman's Australian Open preparations.

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt opened 2010 with a victory in the Hopman Cup on Saturday but the Australian has already set his sights on earning a place in the season-ending Masters Cup in London.

The 28-year-old, who climbed back from injury to finish 2009 ranked 22nd, defeated Victor Hanescu in the hosts' Hopman Cup match against Romania.

Expectation turned to dismay for Australia on Saturday as the hosts were stunned 2-1 by Romania in the opening round-robin match of the Hopman Cup.

Lleyton Hewitt looked to have turned things in the top seeds' favour when he levelled the match at 1-1 with a 3-6 6-3 7-6 win over Victor Hanescu after Sorana Cirstea had shocked Sam Stosur 3-6 6-4 6-3.

It is possibly the best tennis trivia question from 2009: Name the player Kim Clijsters beat to win the US Open?

If you said "Serena Williams", you were wrong. That was a semi-final.

Want another clue?

Name the player who held three match points against Williams in Sydney last year and couldn't convert them?

20 months ago Justine Henin shocked the world after spending months contemplating her life's direction and commitment to leave the sport she had grown to love since she was a little girl. The emotional roller coaster she was on was bound to come to an end. She was facing her toughest opponent in what became the strongest match she will ever play, and that person was Justine Henin. She reached her dreams becoming number 1 in the world, won Grand Slams, connected with so many fans traveling the world and made a ton of money. Why did she leave the game. Only Justine has the answer.

Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis believes it will be a very open field at the Brisbane International, the first ATP World Tour tournament of the 2010 season, which begins Sunday 3rd January.

Regardless of how Jelena Dokic fares during next month's Australian Open, she is certain to be named next week as Australia's No 2 singles player for the vital Fed Cup tie against Spain in early February.