Posted by Peter Bodo, TENNIS.com
If the first week of tennis in the new year is any indication, the Australian Open will be even more volatile and unpredictable than in years past. This is not because the first events of 2008 turned up surprise winners, but rather because most of the best performers last week have long been thought of as potential Grand Slam contenders.
Who knows, by the end of the year's first Grand Slam they may actually be validated -- as Grand Slam contenders.
The winners on Sunday included Mikhail Youzhny, Michael Llodra, Andy Murray, Lindsay Davenport and Na Li. And you can comfortably add the names of two beaten finalists to the pool: Victoria Azarenka and Stanislas Wawrinka, both of whom have been on the talent radar for some time.
Murray is the best known in this group, and his win in Doha will do a lot to curb the criticism he received in some quarters late last year for dumping his coach, Brad Gilbert. Murray has been in the top 10, and he's put up some big wins (including one over Roger Federer in an ATP Masters event). But remember, Murray can't really claim Grand Slam contender status at this point; he's never been past the fourth round at a major.
The least known of the six big winners last week is Llodra, a guy better known for his three Grand Slam doubles titles (and his reputation as one of the game's great free spirits and practical jokers). His win in the appropriately named Next Generation Adelaide International was his first career hard-court singles title, and although he didn't face a Grand Slam champ in his run to the title, the guy is just 27 and abundantly talented. All he's needed to do is apply himself and get serious about his singles career. This is a guy who has matched Murray's Grand Slam career best, getting to the fourth round at two majors.
Youzhny, the Russian with the smooth, all-court game, hammered Rafael Nadal in Chennai, 6-0, 6-1. Granted, Nadal was feeling the after-effects of a semifinal against his countryman and pal, Carlos Moya (at 3:54, their battle is tied for the longest best-of-three match since the ATP starting tracking this stat in 1991), and Youzhny was the first to admit it. Still, this 25-year old is one of those names that always pops up when you talk about dangerous "floaters", and this win will give him plenty of confidence going into the first major.
Davenport has the most compelling story in this group, as well as the most distinguished record. A former WTA No. 1 and multiple Grand Slam winner, she's only in this discussion because she's the mother of an infant son and, although she never officially retired, it was generally assumed that she was through with tennis after taking nearly a year off. In fact, her return to the tour last fall shocked many, as did her subsequent results: In the four events since her comeback (18-1), she won three and lost in the semis in the other.
Li's saga is not as compelling (how could it be?), but her return from a nagging rib injury that sidelined her the second half of 2007 was swift and impressive. En route to the title at the Mondrian Australian Women's Hard Courts, she took out Nicole Vaidisova.
Australian Open favorites, beware!
Peter Bodo
