I dreamed last night I was some sort of amoeba, capable of splitting myself into independently functioning pieces. Some difficulties arose -- it took me two hours to decide between trail mix and Froot Loops -- but there was one enormous benefit. For the first time, I was able to stay in touch with the men's tennis tour.
World No. 2 Dinara Safina has been forced to pull out of next week's Dubai Tennis Championships due to her ongoing back problems.
What will it take to get Nadal back into game shape ... for the long run? Take time off? Retire then unretire? Knee surgery? Change his game? Please tell that a six-time Grand Slam champion isn't done at 23. --Yves, Montreal
So it has come to this in the world of big-time tennis: You're 28 years old, absolutely in your prime, cherishing the game -- and you're some kind of mythical superhero, a miracle of longevity and commitment.
Cleaning out the Australian Open notebook, a "G Moment" if ever there were one...
Five things we've learned from tonight's Australian Open men's final:
Roger Federer swept aside Britain's Andy Murray in straight sets to win the Australian Open final and claim the 16th grand slam of his record breaking career on Sunday.
Serena Williams successfully defended her Australian Open title with a 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory over Belgium's Justine Henin in a thrilling final in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Roger Federer was at his imperious best to dismiss the challenge of France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets to reach the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Friday.
For the first time this week two Chinese women made it to the final four of a grand slam tennis tournament. And although neither could advance to the final of the Australian Open, the progress of Zheng Jie and Li Na wowed audiences internationally and back home in China.
I dreamed last night I was some sort of amoeba, capable of splitting myself into independently functioning pieces. Some difficulties arose -- it took me two hours to decide between trail mix and Froot Loops -- but there was one enormous benefit. For the first time, I was able to stay in touch with the men's tennis tour.
World No. 2 Dinara Safina has been forced to pull out of next week's Dubai Tennis Championships due to her ongoing back problems.
What will it take to get Nadal back into game shape ... for the long run? Take time off? Retire then unretire? Knee surgery? Change his game? Please tell that a six-time Grand Slam champion isn't done at 23. --Yves, Montreal
So it has come to this in the world of big-time tennis: You're 28 years old, absolutely in your prime, cherishing the game -- and you're some kind of mythical superhero, a miracle of longevity and commitment.
Cleaning out the Australian Open notebook, a "G Moment" if ever there were one...
Five things we've learned from tonight's Australian Open men's final:
Roger Federer swept aside Britain's Andy Murray in straight sets to win the Australian Open final and claim the 16th grand slam of his record breaking career on Sunday.
Serena Williams successfully defended her Australian Open title with a 6-4 3-6 6-2 victory over Belgium's Justine Henin in a thrilling final in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Roger Federer was at his imperious best to dismiss the challenge of France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets to reach the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Friday.
For the first time this week two Chinese women made it to the final four of a grand slam tennis tournament. And although neither could advance to the final of the Australian Open, the progress of Zheng Jie and Li Na wowed audiences internationally and back home in China.
Serena Williams warmed up for her women's singles final clash with Justine Henin by teaming with sister Venus to win the Australian Open doubles crown in Melbourne on Friday.
Serena Williams and Justine Henin took contrasting routes to a dream Australian Open final as they ended the Chinese challenge to the established order on Thursday.
Britain's Andy Murray came from a set down to see off the bold challenge of Croatian outsider Marin Cilic to reach the final of the Australian Open with a 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-2 victory in Melbourne on Thursday night.
Men's semifinals: Andy Murray of Great Britain came from a set down to see off the bold challenge of Croatian outsider Marin Cilic to reach the final of the Australian Open on Thursday.
China's Li Na rallied from a set down to stun sixth Venus Williams and reach the semifinals of the Australian Open.
So much about the Australian Open suggests a year of intrigue and fresh storylines, but there is disturbing familiarity to the biggest story: Rafael Nadal's fading invincibility, and the notion that we've seen the best of his rivalry with Roger Federer.
Former world number one Justine Henin fought off a steep challenge from Russia's Nadia Petrova on Tuesday to secure a place in the Australian Open semifinals.
Now that the Aussie Open is reaching the halfway point, time to revise your picks. Of those left standing, who's going to reach the semis and the finals? --Scott Freeman, Atlanta, Ga.
China's Li Na took down the No. 4 seed Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open on Monday in Melbourne, following compatriot Zheng Jie into the quarterfinals -- the first time Chinese women have made it this far in the season's first Grand Slam.
Former world number one Justine Henin won an all-Belgian clash with Yanina Wickmayer to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on a day in which second and third seeds Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova fell by the wayside.
It's Saturday. It's Sunday. It's April. Regardless of what time it is in your precinct, here in Melbourne we're halfway through with our first major. Which means it's time for our 2010 Australian Open midterm grades
Russian Nadia Petrova on Sunday upset one of the Australian Open tournament favorites after beating compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Defending champion Serena Williams cruised into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday after comfortable win over Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro in straight sets.
Roger Federer booked his place in the last 16 of the Australian Open after a routine straight sets win over Spain's Albert Montanes on Saturday to set up a match with home favourite Lleyton Hewitt.
Kim Clijsters crashed out of the Australian Open on Friday along with eighth seed Jelena Jankovic, but fellow former world No. 1 Justine Henin continued her winning return to tennis.
Ana Ivanovic was ousted from the Australian Open in the second round by Argentina's Gisela Dulko, losing in a three-set thriller.
Ana Ivanovic was ousted from the Australian Open in the second round by Argentina's Gisela Dulko, losing in a three-set thriller.
Tour officials would have you believe that the 2009 Grand Slam season was another compelling, fun-filled display of women's tennis, but it was hardly that. It was a mess. If there was an overriding theme, it was something along the lines of "I'm An Emotional Wreck."
Were you surprised at the Elena Dementieva-Justine Henin result? Henin has dominated Dementieva in past meetings (nine wins in 11 matches), but they last played in 2007 and Dementieva has been performing pretty well of late. What does this say about Henin's chances moving forward? --Stephen Males, Devonshire, Bermuda
Justine Henin booked her place in the third round of the Australian Open after she claimed a 7-5 7-6 (8-6) victory over fifth seed Elena Dementieva in Melbourne on Wednesday.
What do you think Maria Sharapova should do? Bring her father, Yuri, back to the box? This can't be about the serve only, Elena Dementieva has been in the top 10 without a proper serve for ages. Sharapova risks ending up in the Martina Hingis/Daniela Hantuchova category: at their best when they are "only 17" and unable to repeat their earlier results after age 20. By the way, if Sharapova's career history holds up then she should win the 2010 French Open. -- Don, Europe
Isn't it surprising, Jon? Roger Federer only came up with the "Hit for Haiti" idea on Saturday morning. Television only advertised it on Saturday afternoon and evening, and the papers the next morning. I was there and we had a great time. It is quite astounding that they were able to organize it in one day -- and good on people for coming. Laver was full capacity and it still surprises me, even with the realization that Down Under is a sports-mad society. Props for Tennis Australia, players and fans. A chunk of change was donated, too. -- Deepak, Melbourne
World No. 1 Roger Federer battled back from losing his first set of the decade's opening Grand Slam tennis tournament on Tuesday to book a place in the second round of the Australian Open.
Men's world No. 1 tennis player Roger Federer rallied on Tuesday to open his play of the Australian Open in victorious fashion, beating back a stiff challenge from Igor Andreev in four sets.
Second seed Rafael Nadal and fifth seed Andy Murray are both trough to the second round of the Australian Open in Melbourne after opening the tournament with straight sets victories.
Sports superstar Roger Federer has organized a charity event to raise funds for the victims of the Haiti earthquake, as the tennis world rallies to contribute to the cause.
SI.com's Jon Wertheim breaks down the men's and women's seeds at the Australian Open. Read on for the top first-round matchups, dark horses to watch and his predicted winners.
World No. 1 Roger Federer faces a potential quarterfinal clash with Nikolay Davydenko after his recent nemesis was drawn in the same quarter of the field for the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.
World No. 1 Serena Williams' preparations for her Australian Open title defense suffered a late blip when she was beaten in the final of the Sydney International by Elena Dementieva on Friday.
Roger Federer and Serena Williams go into next week's Australian Open as top seeds but tennis legend Boris Becker says they will have their work cut out to claim the opening grand slam of the season.
Is Nikolay Davydenko the new "Greatest to have not yet won a Slam?" Beating both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal two tournaments in a row surely elevates him on that list? Maybe he's not such a dark horse for the 2010 Australian Open! -- Andrew Roth, Sacramento
The 110-year history of the Davis Cup is under threat after leading players confirmed they have proposed a plan to replace one of sport's oldest competitions with a "World Cup."
Top seed Andy Roddick beat defending champion Radek Stepanek in two tiebreak sets to claim the ATP tournament in Brisbane on Sunday.
Kim Clijsters defeated fellow comeback queen Justine Henin in the final of the Brisbane International on Saturday, saving two match-points and wasting three as she won an epic clash.
Roger Federer has crashed out of the Qatar Open in Doha at the semifinal stage -- losing to Nikolay Davydenko for the second successive match.
Former world number ones Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters both survived scares before booking their spots in the semifinals of the Brisbane International event.
Justine Henin continued her winning return to tennis with a straight sets win over Kazakhstan's Sesil Karatantcheva at the WTA tournament in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal made light work of their opening matches on the 2010 ATP Tour circuit on Tuesday, but a man who has beaten the world's top two tennis players suffered an embarrassing defeat.
Kim Clijsters continued her winning start to 2010 with a 6-0 6-3 demolition of Australia's Alicia Molik at the WTA tournament in Brisbane on Tuesday.
1. If there's not outright parity in the men's game, we're a long way from the days when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were combining to win 17 of 18 majors titles. Federer's flame, understandably, has lost some intensity; and Nadal has suffered in both body and spirit. It was Juan Martin del Potro who won the 2009 U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic who was the MVP of the fall, and Nikolay Davydenko who won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Look for the democratization of the men's game to continue in 2010.
Belgium's Kim Clijsters began her 2010 campaign in fine style with a 6-2 6-1 win over Italy's Tathiana Garbin in the first round of the WTA tournament in Brisbane on Sunday.
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal overcame last year's nemesis Robin Soderling to win the World Tennis Championship exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Roger Federer made a losing start to his 2010 campaign as he was beaten in three sets by Swede Robin Soderling at a high-profile exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on New Year's Day.
Roger Federer has been named International Tennis Federation (ITF) champion for the fifth time with Serena Williams taking the women's award for the second time.
• Men: Roger Federer. He's alone atop the mountain, not just for the past decade but for always. Put simply, he is the GOAT, the greatest of all time. Since Wimbledon of 2003, Federer has won 15 of the 26 majors he's entered -- including each of the four at least once -- to set the all-time record. Plus, he has done it with a singular combination of will and grace.
You can lament the length of the season. You can mourn a confusing ranking system, greedy administrators and tape-delayed broadcasts. You can mourn the corruption of the word "retirement." But say this about tennis: It's never boring. This year's episodes included cocaine kisses, crystal meth cover-ups, unraveling hairpieces, no-fault foot faults, and $9 million payoffs.
The week after Wimbledon, Stacey Allaster was officially named the new CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Since then, a former No. 1 player returned and won the U.S. Open. The Tour's most marketable star blew a gasket in the U.S. Open semifinals, a meltdown that became an international cause célèbre. One Belgian was suspended for an anti-violating simply because she failed to keeps administrator advised of her whereabouts. Another Belgian, a seven-time Grand Slam champ, is returning. And the WTA's title sponsor is, by most accounts, a longshot to renew. Otherwise, it's been an uneventful 150 days.
Preliminary programming note for our off-season 'Bag this week. We'll hold our annual Baggies Awards ceremony for 2009 next week. And 60 Minutes will be shown immediately following the game, except on the West Coast where it will air at its regularly scheduled time.
Rafael Nadal rediscovered his top form at the right time to brush aside Tomas Berdych in straight sets and give Spain the early advantage in their Davis Cup final defense against the Czech Republic in Barcelona.
Former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo has announced her retirement from tennis, revealing that she no longer has the desire to play and train.
Nikolay Davydenko produced a ruthless display to beat U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets to win the ATP World Tour Finals in London on Sunday.
Nikolay Davydenko stunned world No. 1 Roger Federer with a 6-2 4-6 7-5 victory in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals in London on Saturday.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic has crashed out of the ATP World Tour Finals at London's O2 Arena, despite a 7-6 6-3 victory over Rafael Nadal on Friday.
Nikolay Davydenko clinched the last semifinal berth at the ATP World Tour Finals as the Russian defeated Robin Soderling 7-6 4-6 6-3 on Friday.
Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for Sportsman of the Year on Nov. 30. Here's one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer.
Andy Murray claimed his second round-robin victory at the ATP World Tour Finals with an epic 6-4 6-7 7-6 win over Fernando Verdasco -- but the win was not enough to send him through to the semifinals at London's O2 Arena.
Juan Martin del Potro ended Andy Murray's hopes of progressing to the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-2 6-7 6-3 victory over Roger Federer at the O2 Arena in London.
Group B outsider Robin Soderling became the first player to reach the semifinals of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday night.
Andy Murray will need to beat Fernando Verdasco on Thursday to reach the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals after going down 3-6 6-3 6-1 to Roger Federer in Tuesday's blockbuster Group A clash at London's O2 Arena.
Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for Sportsman of the Year on Nov. 30. Here's one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer. Now this was The Greatest Match Ever: All England Club, Gentlemen's final, King Federer vs. The Everyman with the 145 mph serve. After the afternoon shadows had overtaken Centre Court, after the longest fifth set in the history of the tournament was over and the breathtaking four-hour, 16-minute epic had come to an end, Roger Federer put on the white jacket embroidered with the gold 15 like an emperor slipping on his cloak. Federer had won more Grand Slam singles titles than any player in history. Yet, the better story on that July afternoon belonged to the loser, because there had never been a loser that more deserved to win than Andy Roddick at Wimbledon.
U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro kept alive his challenge at the ATP World Tour Finals in London with a nervy 6-4 3-6 7-6 victory over Fernando Verdasco on Tuesday.
Robin Soderling blew Group B at the ATP Tour Finals in London wide open with a shock straight sets victory over world number two Rafael Nadal on Monday.
World number one Roger Federer had to battle from a set down to beat Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 4-6 7-5 6-1 in their Group A opener at the ATP Tour Finals in London on Sunday night.
WTHIGOW Melanie Oudin? -- Tom, Riverwoods, Ill.
Novak Djokovic continued his superlative end of season form with a straight sets demolition of second seed Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Paris Masters on Saturday.
Rafael Nadal ended the Paris Masters run of defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday to help fellow-Spaniard Fernando Verdasco book his spot at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
We'll start this week with two open calls. I received my ballot for the 2010 inductions to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Doubles is the theme this year and the nominees are Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva (as a team), Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge (as a team), and Anders Jarryd (individually).
Top seed Roger Federer crashed out of the Paris Masters as a tearful Jean Benneteau produced a sublime performance to beat him 3-6 7-6 6-4.
A few thoughts from the tennis world ...
Novak Djokovic upset Roger Federer in the final of the Swiss Indoors tournament on Sunday to end the world No. 1's bid for a fourth successive title at his home event.
Roger Federer will play Novak Djokovic for the title at the ATP tournament in Basel after contrasting semifinal victories on Saturday.
Italy are in a strong position to claim the Fed Cup after building up a 2-0 lead over an under strength United States team in the final in Reggio Calabria.
New world No. 1 Serena Williams will take on her older sister and defending champion Venus in the final of the season-ending WTA Championships in Qatar on Sunday as injuries again took their toll on the world's top women tennis players.
Second seed Serena Williams stormed into the semifinals of the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, while sister and defending champion Venus kept her slim hopes alive.
Be sure to check out Andre Agassi's revealing autobiography excerpt in this week's Sports Illustrated. I'll be taking all questions on the must-read next week.
Are you really equating a couple of sets of exhibition tennis to the demands of a long tour season? -- Henry Brito, Atlanta
American tennis legend Andre Agassi has admitted using crystal methamphetamine a year before he won the French Open in 1998, and that he lied to the sport's governing bodies in the same period about a positive drugs test to avoid a ban.
Defending champion Venus Williams suffered an opening round-robin defeat to Russia's Elena Dementieva on the first day of the WTA Championships in Doha on Tuesday.
Third seed Agnieszka Radwanska crashed out of the Kremlin Cup after she slipped to a straight sets, 6-3 6-3, defeat to Russian Maria Kirilenko in Moscow.
A few thoughts as tennis takes its annual autumnal tumble off the radar ...
Nikolay Davydenko came out on top in a high-quality final with top seed Rafael Nadal to win the Shanghai Masters title in straight sets on Sunday.
Top seed Rafael Nadal was given a scare before being handed a place in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic remain on course for a final showdown at the Shanghai Masters as both cruised into the quarterfinals with convincing victories in China on Thursday.
Former world number one Rafael Nadal beat James Blake in an entertaining three-setter but newly-crowned U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro exited the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday.
Australian Open organizers have granted a wildcard to former world number one Justine Henin to play in the opening grand slam of 2010.
Novak Djokovic is up to number three in the world after defeating Marin Cilic in the final of the China Open in Beijing on Sunday.
Marian Cilic will face second seed Novak Djokovic in the final of the China Open on Sunday after handing world No. 2 Rafael Nadal his first defeat in Beijing.
Top seed Rafael Nadal fought off a determined challenge from American James Blake to reach the quarterfinals of the China Open in Beijing on Thursday.
World number one Dinara Safina and third seed Venus Williams crashed out in major upsets at the China Open in Beijing on Monday.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic made no mistake in his opening round match at the China Open in Beijing as he saw off Romania's Victor Hanescu in straight sets 6-3 7-5 on Monday.
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