Most of my articles focus on the state of men’s tennis, but I’d like to talk about the women this time around. Many believe that it’s the biggest women’s sport in the world, and I would agree.

Women are faster, stronger, and harder working in the world of professional tennis and we’ve been lucky enough to see some absolutely great players. Here are the 7 best since 1980, in my opinion.

Coming in at number seven on my list is Venus Williams. In her late 20s now, she’s been in pro tennis for 15 years and she’s simply been phenomenal. With many grand slam wins and a firm grip on Wimbledon, she’s one of the best women to ever play the sport.

While Venus Williams is a legend, Justine Henin was just a little better. Beating Venus on many occasions, this small Belgian warrior has 9 slams. The difference between Henin and Venus is the fact that she won these over a 9 year period.

August 12th, 2009 was a bright, sunny Wednesday morning in Canada. Since I was working at the Rogers Cup, I had admission to the grounds and had specifically asked for the day off so I would be able to go check out all the professionals’ warmups. It was really a loaded schedule with the finest ten competing during the day.

At 11 that morning, a friend and I headed over to Court 4 where the world’s top ranked player, Roger Federer, was due to get there at within 30 minutes. Already filled with about several hundred people, there was very little room to move.

As the time approached, the place was filled with fans who eagerly waited to get a glimpse of the best to ever play the game. With the sun soaring at 95 degrees fahrenheit, we watched him warm up and we saw him hitting balls. To be honest, it was pretty boring and was supposed to go on for 2 hours.

Juan Martin del Potro. Many forget to mention del Potro when speaking of top contenders, but his potential on the hard court is undeniable. Del Potro won 23 straight matches last summer, capturing four tournament victories in a row leading straight up to the 2008 US Open, besting any teenager in tennis history except for Rafael Nadal.

Del Potro reached the quarterfinals at least year’s open, but was stopped short by Andy Murray in a four set nailbiter. Murray went on to advance to the finals. This is all an indication that an improving Del Potro can’t be overlooked at this year’s tournament.

Andy Roddick: Andy Roddick is realistically the only American hopeful at grand slam events, and has remained that way for quite some time. For a long time, Roddick often occupied the 5-8 seeds, although such a high seeding was virtually meaningless given the dominance of top 3 players Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Federer has since experienced some shakiness, Nadal has struggled with injury, and Djokovic’s mental game has affected his performance, thus opening the door for players like Roddick to make a measurable impact.