The Australian Open Begins Tomorrow Morning

MELBOURNE PARK OPENS IT'S GATES TO THE BEST IN THE WORLD

The best players in the world have landed on our home soil as they get ready for the first grand slam of the year, The Australian Open. What better way to open the tennis season. Lets hope the Melbourne weather can hold up and produce days where the sun is shining and the fans are able to sit in the stands without sweltering in the heat. It's not just the fans that have to put up with the heat, it's the poor players that have to battle it out in over 40 degree heat. I attended last years tournament and the weather averaged out at 43 degrees with the highest being 45/46 degrees. Who wants to go to the tennis in that heat let a lone play in it. 

The player have been keeping in condition over the last week or two over various tournaments around Australia. The Medibank International which is held in Homebush, Sydney is becoming one of the most popular tournaments in the lead up to the slam. This year players such as Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, Marcos Baghdatis and Lleyton Hewitt graced Sydney with their presence. I attended the Mardy Fish vs Peter Luczak on the Thursday evening. The weather was great and the match was fantastic both players hitting the ball with so much force and the serving from Fish was outstanding. The problem I find with the Medibank is that they play the marquee matches during the day so that Channel 7 can air it live. The night session costs a fair share of money and you would think that most of the good matches will be played at night or atleast divided up between the day and night. Fair call, right? Oh well it wasn't to be, but all in all a great night. Congratulations must go to Dementieva from Russia who took care of Serena Williams in straight sets and Marcos Baghdatis for beating Richard Gasquet of France in straight sets. 

The next two weeks should be brilliant, I'm very curious as to how our Australians are going to perform this year. Lleyton looks in career best shape but just can't seem to keep the ticks in the win column. He has a favourable draw but will meet Baghdatis in the 3rd round if he gets that far. Marcos beat Hewitt in Sydney, so I'm sure he will want to take some revenge for beating him in his home country. The crowd will be an absolute cracker for that match if it is to take place, I would love to be there! Samantha Stosur has been struggling to say the least to begin the year, lets hope she can get her game back during the opening rounds of the tournament. Jelena Dokic and Casey Dellacqua are crowd favourites and may need that extra help during the week to get them over the line, they've done it before so it wouldn't be new to them if they progress deep in the tourney. Bernard Tomic is another Aussie to keep an eye on, young kid who on his day could cause an upset. 

Personally I don't think the Aussies will do to well but I hope I'm wrong. These are the I think you have to watch for in the Men's draw:

• Obviously Roger Federer has to be a strong candidate to take out the Aussie Open. He will be around late in the second week and don't be surprised if he is lifting the trophy at the end of the tournament.
• Andy Murray is definitely a chance this year. He has a favourable draw and will possibly meet Rafa in the quarters in which I consider him a strong chance and then may meet Roddick or Del Potro(if he isn't injured). I think he can go past either of them on his day. Some people may disagree because of his poor grand slam form but I think it could be Murray's year. 
• My dark horse is Nikolay Davydenko, his form over the last three months has been sensational. A quarter final showdown with Roger Federer could be the match of the tournament come the second week. I am not a fan of Davydenko due to to his match fixing allegations which I do believe are true. Maybe have a little cash on him for the value he is giving.  

On the women's side of the draw there are only a certain few whom I think can take this years title out, they are:

• Elena Dementieva, he time is now! She has been playing so well over the last year or two and it's time that she won a grand slam. I feel her smashing victory over Serena Williams in Sydney two days ago may give her that much needed boost to get over the line. Her only problem is getting past her second round opponent Justin Henin. A prolific champion during he era, Henin has made a comeback after seeing how well Kim Clijsters went in the US Open. Has there ever been a bigger second round match up? I can't recall off the top of my head but I'd be surprised. 
• Serena Williams doesn't look to healthy to me and I think we may see an early exit due to injury. It will be a shame as she is a crowd favourite. Let's hope Stosur sticks around long enough to erase those horrible memories of a few years back when she choked in Sydney against Williams.
• Kim Clijsters is in the hardest quarter of the draw. Dementieva, Henin and Kuznetsova are all high calibre opponents which could knock her off on their given day. Kim is going to have to be on her toes but I'm sure the Aussie crowd will help her along the way. They love Kim down in Melbourne.

I hope everyone enjoys the tennis, have fun if you're going to the Open. Last year I had an absolute blast and I recommend it to anyone that is wanting to go. If you're having a punt on the tennis good luck and I may post a tip or two during the next week or so. 


Tip: Mardy Fish against Andrey Golubev. Back Fish 3-0 at $2.75 or Fish 3-1 at $3.75. Making money either way. Good luck and bet responsibly ;)