August twelfth, ’09 was a bright, sunny Wednesday morning in Montreal. Since I was working at the Rogers Cup, I got admission to the grounds and had specially asked for the day off so I could go see all the professionals’ practices. It was indeed a rich schedule with the best 10 competing all the way through the day.

At eleven that day, a pal and I headed over toward Court 4 where the world’s No.1, Roger Federer, was due to arrive at 11:30am. Already jam packed with roughly a few hundred people, there was hardly any room to move.

As the time approached, the place was packed with people who enthusiastically waited to get a glimpse of the Swiss Maestro. With the sun scorching at 35 levels celsius, we watched him loosen up and we saw him hitting balls. To be honest, it was relatively unexciting and was scheduled to go on for 2 hours.

The Australian Open once again got the tennis year off to a great start and whetted out appetite for the forthcoming season. The master they call Roger Federer once again lifted that famous trophy, sending out a warning to all his opponents that he’s still the man to beat.

Don’t assume, however, at this early stage, it’s going to be the same winners at all the Majors. There are a few good players just waiting to seize the moment and lift a few big titles themselves. Here are a few who showed great promise last year, and this could well be their time to shine.

There are a few players to keep an eye out for this year, as 2010 could well be the year that they achieve their potential.

The peak of her 2009 season was beating some big names to battle her way through to the semi finals of the US Open. With years yet to mature and grow as a player, she could well be lifting many major trophies in the years to come.

With the Aussie Open kicking off the new ’10 tennis year, the sport we love is officially in effect. There are many pros making up a field that happens to be more up for grabs than it has happened to be in many years.

No longer are the times of Roger and Rafa Nadal ruling every event. There are various other great participants on the men’s side of things who possess respectable prospects each moment a match starts.

While Federer and Nadal occupy the best two ranks in the world, there are some competitors who might finish up the year ranked at # 1. Let’s have a look at the most probable heirs to the throne at this time.

Certainly, there is Roger Federer. He must forever be considered the favorite to end at the top of the field, seeing that he’s been the best nearly every single year throughout the duration of the previous 10 years. In spite of everything, his age of twenty nine reveals that he’s getting up there in years.

With the Australian Open kicking off the new 2010 tennis year, the action is officially back. There are many players rounding out a field that finds itself more competitive than it’s been in quite a few years.

While recent years seemingly belonged to Federer and Nadal and their classic rivalry with one another, there are a few more players in the mix who should pose a threat to them both.

Though Federer and Nadal occupy the top two spots in the world, there are a few players who could end up the year ranked at number one. Let’s take a look at the most likely finishers now.

Obviously, there’s Roger Federer. He should always be considered the favorite to finish at the top of the rankings, as he’s done so nearly every year during the course of the last decade. Still, his age of 29 means he’s getting up there in years.

If we rewind by a few years in the women’s tennis world, we’ll arrive at a time where Justine Henin was the world’s best female tennis player. Not only was she the best, but she was rather dominant.

Suddenly, Henin decided to call it a career during the summer of 2008. Many were shocked by this revelation, as there was simply no reason for her to retire. After all, it’s not as if she was slowing down.

Her retirement had everything to do with the fact that she simply grew tired of the lifestyle that comes with that of a professional athlete. The training and the grueling schedule had taken their toll on this champion.

This would allow her to focus on both her charity work and her tennis school, as she took pride in training the many talented young kids who came to her school.

Modern tennis has gone through many changes, and the 1980s were the years that served as the transition for this. Racquets quickly went from wooden ones to graphite ones, and much more happened as well.

This brief article will focus on my favorite 5 tennis players from the 1980s. These aren’t ordered by who was best, simply by my favorites. I hope you enjoy it!

The early 1980s were dominated by Bjorn Borg before his early retirement. At the top of his game, he was undoubtedly the best in the world and one of the best to ever play the sport.

Next on my list is Stefan Edberg, whose career began in the 1980s and lasted into the 1990s. The Swedish net player was one of the best volleyers in the history of the sport, and one of the last pure volleyers as well.

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.