Hopefully everyone is able to give thanks for family, friends, and good health on Thanksgiving Day. For tennis fans, however, it’s an absolutely certainty that there is a lot to be thankful for.

Here are just a few of the things I am thankful for when it comes to the 2008 season on the ATP Tour.

I’m thankful for Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. I’m especially thankful for them being on the court at the same time. I’m thankful for the 2008 Wimbledon final. It can’t be said unequivocally that it is the greatest match of all time. But, it can’t be said unequivocally that it isn’t the greatest match of all time, either. Without question, it is one of the best ever. It’s one of those matches that you remember where you were when you watched it (for me, those also include Gaudio-Coria, Ivanisevic-Rafter, Agassi-Blake, Agassi-Baghdatis, and too many matches to name in person at the U.S. Open).

I’m thankful for Novak Djokovic. As much fun as it is to watch Nadal and Federer contest Grand Slam finals, and as much fun as it would be to watch them contest every Grand Slam final from now until the end of time, it’s even more fun to see tournaments competitive among a handful of players as opposed to just two.

I’m thankful for Andy Murray. Same reason.

I’m thankful for Gilles Simon, for showing that it’s possible to be one of the best in the world at tennis without having an overload of talent. He should be an inspiration to any recreational player who does nothing more than keep the ball in the court and fight for every single point to the very end.

I’m thankful for upsets. For example, Simon over Nadal in Madrid, Spain over Argentina in the Davis Cup final, Djokovic over Federer, Murray over Federer (twice), Simon over Federer, Mardy Fish over Federer, Radek Stepanek over Federer, Andy Roddick over Federer, Youzhny over Nadal while losing just one game, Davydenko over Nadal, Seppi over Nadal, Sergiy Stahovsky, Philipp Petzschner, and Igor Kunitsyn winning ATP tournaments, and too many others to name in a 2008 season full of surprises. It wouldn’t be so interesting if what was supposed to happen always happened. In the words of one of the oldest clichés in sports, “that’s why they play the game.”

I’m thankful for Hawkeye. A.K.A. the challenge system. It deprives us of some player blowups at chair-umpire blowups, but at least it gets the calls right. Well, at least I think does. Some players sometimes disagree.

I’m thankful for witnessing chokes on a consistent basis from professional tennis players. It’s painful to watch, but at the same time it makes me, and presumably all other tennis players from beginner to just short of pro level, feel a little bit better about my own failures to successfully serve out sets and matches. Ernests Gulbis comes to mind here (see: matches against David Nalbandian in Indian Wells, Nikolay Davydenko in Miami, Jose Acasuso in Canada, and Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open).

I’m thankful for guys like John Inser (2007) and more recently Kevin Anderson and Somdev Devvarman for showing it’s OK to go to college even if you are absolutely unbelievable at tennis. For those who don’t follow the college ranks or professional players beyond the Top 100, Anderson finished runner-up at the ATP event in Las Vegas earlier this year. Devvarman won two NCAA singles titles, then won four straight Challenger tournaments immediately after leaving UVA.

When it comes to the WTA Tour, I’m mostly thankful that it is so much deeper than it used to be. Gone are the days when just a few women dominated the spot. Now a nice crop of players have a chance to Grand Slams. The Williams sisters, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, and Dinara Safina to name just a few.

I’m thankful for an influx of young talent, brining even more contenders into the fold on the women’s side.

I’m thankful Justine Henin is no longer around.

I’m thankful for Dementieva, for showing that it is possible to win despite having an utterly atrocious serve. (She won gold at the Olympics, in case people have already forgotten).

At this time of year, sine it’s the off-season, I’m especially thankful for the Australian Open.

I’m thankful for 2008 producing one of the best Australian Opens ever. I’m thankful for the Roger Federer vs. Janko Tipsarevic match, the Andy Roddick vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber match, and the Marcos Baghdatis vs. Lleyton Hewitt match. I’m thankful for fans who are die-hard enough to stay until the end of a match that concludes at 4:33 in the morning. Yes, that is exactly when Baghdatis and Hewitt finished their epic encounter. I’m thankful for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga captivating the tennis world Down Under, especially in a win over Rafael Nadal and in the first set of the title match against Novak Djokovic. I’m thankful for a solid women’s tournament that featured especially great matches involving Sharapova, Ivanovic, and Daniela Hantuchova.

I’m already thankful for what should be an amazing Australian Open 2009. It’s less than 60 days away. Federer should be completely healthy in Melbourne, unlike this year. Nadal should have overcome his knee problems by then. Djokovic and Murray will give the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world all they can handle. Watch out for Tsonga and Del Potro as well. I’m thankful for having absolutely no clue who will emerge victorious on the women’s side. Serena? Venus? Ana? Jelena? Elena? Dinara? Vera Zvonareva? One of the young guns? Agniezska Radwanska? Carolina Wozniacki?

I’m thankful for a new and improved Australian Open Series that will have us adequately pumped up for the season’s first Grand Slam by the time it rolls around on January 19. Brisbane, Hobart, and Sydney. All three have lured some big names to participate, and more are expected to join the fray. We’ll have two weeks of outstanding tennis before the Australian Open 2009 even starts. As if we aren’t already pumped up for the Aussie Open enough right now!

Most of all, I’m thankful that–as of Thanksgiving Day–the 2009 ATP season is only 39 days away.

Australian Open player profiles continue with Gael Monfils, an athletic, charismatic Frenchman who has only been held back by injuries. You probably heard a lot about him as junior, but you’ll be hearing a lot more about him in 2009 if injuries don’t bit him yet again.

Country: France

Height: 6’4”

Age: 22 (9/1/86)

Ranking: 14

Career-High Ranking: 14

Best Grand Slam Performance: Semifinals of the French Open in 2008

Claim to Fame: Won three straight Grand Slam junior titles in 2004. Arguably the most athletic player on tour.

Australian Opens Played: 3 (2005, 2006, 2007)

Best Australian Open Performance: Third Round (2007)

Best Shot: Speed. Monfils really doesn’t have one signature shot or one huge weapon with which he can put opponents away. But he plays defense better than almost anyone on the ATP Tour. He’s probably the most athletic player in tennis, as well. Monfils is probably not quite as fast as Rafael Nadal in terms of foot speed, but his athleticism and wing span perhaps allow him to track down even more shots than does the No. 1 player in the world.

Needs Work: Net game. Monfils is winning with defense, but his serve and forehand are rapidly improving and as those shots become more effective, he will have to start following them into the net. So far, Monfils has rarely ventured there, and when he has, it’s been far from spectacular. A little more offense to go along with his already-superb defense will make Monfils a downright pain to play.

2008 Summary, 2009 Outlook: Monfils has been plagued by injuries throughout his brief career, and he did not even start playing in 2008 until March. Not surprisingly, it took him a while to get going. He hovered in the 40s, 50s, and 60s in the world rankings before exploding with the onset of the French Open. Monfils delighted fans with a run to the Roland Garros semifinals, where he fell to Roger Federer, and never looked back. He reached the semifinals in Nottingham, the quarterfinals of the Olympics, the fourth round of the U.S. Open, the semifinals in Bangkok, the final in Vienna, and the quarterfinals of the Masters Series Madrid. Going into the last tournament of the regular season (Paris), he still had an outside shot at qualifying for the year-end Masters Cup despite having missed two Grand Slams (the Australian Open and Wimbledon).

Monfils reached No. 14 in the world playing on a limited basis in 2008; so just think what he can do next year if he stays healthy. For one, an appearance in the Top 10 should be imminent. He has absolutely no points to defend throughout the first two months of the season, so a big opportunity awaits him. Monfils can be a force on all surfaces, so he can rack up ranking points on a consistent basis wherever, whenever, and on whatever surface is underneath him. Ten months of injury-free tennis in 2009 should result in a Masters Cup spot for Monfils.

Australian Open 2009 Outlook: Monfils’ Aussie Open history is less than stellar, in part due to injuries. He couldn’t even participate in the event this season, instead sidelined by physical problems. There is every reason to think, however, than the Frenchman will be back and better than ever in Melbourne in 2009. He was injury-free (and it showed with some awesome results) for almost the entire second half of 2008, and a two-month off-season full of rest will only help Monfils be in even better shape when he arrives Down Under.

The Plexicushion surface, meanwhile, should be perfect for Monfils. It’s slow enough to help him retrieve all kinds of would-be winners, but it is fast enough to aid his big serves and forehands (that will presumably be even bigger at the start of 2009 with some hard work alongside coach Roger Rasheed throughout the off-season). Anything less than a fourth-round showing would be a disappointment. With any luck, Monfils could still be around for the final weekend just like he was at Roland Garros.

With just over a month to go until the 2009 season and less than two months to go until the season’s first Grand Slam event, it’s time to start taking a look at some of the contenders at the upcoming Australian Open 2009.

First, let’s meet a rising star (or so most fans think) of tennis, Ernests Gulbis.

Gulbis was supposed to be the Juan Martin Del Potro of 2008. At least that was what many fans thought, based on his big game and almost other-worldly talent. Instead, it never really materialized for Gulbis on a consistent basis. But he is still just 20 years old, and therefore he is still on the rise and still has the potential for a breakout 2009 campaign.

Country: Latvia

Height: 6’3”

Age: 20 (8/30/88)

Ranking: 53

Career-High Ranking: 38

Best Grand Slam Performance: Quarterfinals of the French Open in 2008

Claim to Fame: One of the most exciting players to watch on the entire ATP Tour

Australian Opens played: 1 (2008)

Best Australian Open performance: First Round (2008)

Best Shot: Serve. Gulbis’ two-handed backhand is his most solid shot, but he can single-handedly win matches with his serve. The first is absolutely massive, and the second is often bigger than a fair amount of players’ firsts. If Gulbis can just increase his percentage and learn when the right times are to go for the huge seconds, he will become tough to beat.

Needs Work: Mental game. That’s one of the few things keeping Gulbis back. He just can’t seem to maintain focus in the clutch moments of big matches. Sure he reached the quarterfinals at both the French Open and the Masters Series Cincinnati, but none of the matches he won at either event were particularly nail-biting. Serving out sets and matches is not Gulbis’ forte. His forehand can be out of control at times, but for now the mental game is what most needs to be addressed.

2008 Summary, 2009 Outlook: After making a name for himself in 2008, 2009 was supposed to be Gulbis’ breakout year. It was just that on a few occasions, but certainly not on a consistent basis. The season was a mixed bag of good and bad; unfortunately most of it bad. For Gulbis, the good news (or is this bad news?) is that it could have been so much better. He served for a two-set lead against Andy Roddick in the second round of the U.S. Open and blew it, served for the match against David Nalbandian in Indian Wells and blew it, and had match point against Nikolay Davydenko (not to mention an easy backhand winner on match point) in Miami and blew that as well. At least Cincinnati and Roland Garros salvaged the Latvian’s year.

Now the question is will Gulbis fulfill his potential one season later than expected. 2009 is an absolutely huge year for the 20-year-old. Another 10 months with Gulbis stuck in neutral could cripple his confidence and make the concerns over whether or not he will actually live up to all the hype louder than they already are. The talent to put it all together, however, is there. In terms of having all the shots, Gulbis literally has no weaknesses: serve, forehand, backhand, size, movement, touch, volleys, drop-shots; everything. He has it all, he just can’t seem to use them all with any consistency. Or he hasn’t yet. Saying the sky is the limit for Gulbis would not be anything less than the truth. He could be the No. 1 player in the world in a matter of two or three years. He could also be out of the Top 100 by the summer of 2009. Neither would be surprising. It all depends on what is going on inside his head.

Australian Open 2009 Outlook: Gulbis will be taking part in the Kooyong Classic the week before the Australian Open. This could be very good news for the youngster, who thrives on momentum and needs some after a lackluster finish to 2008. When Gulbis is playing well, he can really be on fire. When he is off, he sometimes can barely hit a single shot in the court. It was more of latter towards the end of this season, so he needs something to get him going right away next year. Kooyong could be the answer.

The problem for Gulbis is that he did not have a good enough 2008 campaign to be seeded for the Australian Open 2009 (not even close). That puts him at the mercy of the draw, potentially playing a seeded player in the first round, or second. If Gulbis gets a favorable draw, he can go on a quarterfinal run similar to the one we saw at the French Open. He could also go out in the first round regardless of who he plays, like he did in straight sets to Marat Safin earlier this season. With Gulbis, you just never know.

The Australian Open has always had a flair for the dramatic. The Australian Open 2008 was no different, producing some remarkable, memorable matches that will live in Melbourne lore forever, albeit for different reasons. Some for ending later than late, some for big upsets, some for great escapes, some fore incredible comebacks, some for their quality, and some for their quality.

Here’s an in depth look at the three best, plus others that deserve honorable mention.

3. Roger Federer vs. Janko Tipsarevic

It took more than just Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis to push the end of Friday’s (or should I say, Saturday morning’s) action during Week 1 of the 2008 Australian Open back to 4:33 AM.

The whole thing started with Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic, who squared off in a “day” session third-round match that ended up spilling over well into the night session. Federer, then world No. 1, prevailed 6-7(5), 7-6(1), 5-7, 6-1, 10-8 in four hours and 27 minutes.

What it lacked in quality (unforced errors plagued the proceedings and Federer was nowhere near the Federer he was in 2007; it was later revealed that he had been suffering from mononucleosis), the match made up for in drama. Tipsarevic, a Serb in the shadow of eventual Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, was expected to get blown away, and that appeared to be the case at 5-3 in the first set. The underdog, however, stormed back to win the opening frame of play in a tiebreaker.

It was on.

A back-and-forth affair saw Federer return the favor by winning the second in another ‘breaker, but never-say-die Tipsarevic kept things close and broke at 5-5 in the following set before serving it out for a shocking 2-1 advantage. Once again, however, Federer seemed to take control and go on his way to imminent victory, taking the fourth easily 6-1.

But again, Tipsarevic had other ideas. Upset–shocking the world more like it–was still on his mind. The No. 49 player in the world held serve and went toe-to-toe with the Swiss until 8-8 in the decisive fifth. That’s when Federer broke, and this time he finally put Tipsarevic away, serving out the wild match to finish it 10-8.

“What a great battle,” Federer said. “Fair play, he’s a nice guy.Pity somebody has to win; wish we could have draws sometimes too…. This is where you get grey hair early in life.”

“I went on court with the idea I would win,” Tipsarevic admitted. You have to believe you are going to beat Roger Federer, as stupid as it might sound. I was close. I lost because he was better in the important moments of the match.”

Some interesting statistics from the match: Despite the the competitiveness of the match, Federer won 30 more points than Tipsarevic (202-172)…. Federer also had 21 break-point opportunities to Tipsarevic’s three…. Tipsarevic did not lose a single break point, winning three of three…. Federer double-faulted just once in 31 service games.

And one final interesting quote from Federer: “I’m glad I could deliver a five-set thriller. I don’t have them that often except at Wimbledon against Nadal, so it’s nice to be part of something like this.” If only he knew what was to come six months later on the grass courts of the All-England Club….

2. Andy Roddick vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber

In terms of quality, the third-round clash featuring Andy Roddick and Philipp Kohlschreber was second to none at the 2008 Australian Open. It might not be remembered like the two other Aussie Open epics because it didn’t end at 4:33 in the morning (like Marcos Baghdatis vs. Lleyton Hewitt) and it didn’t involve the No. 1 player in the world (Roger Federer, at the time he played Janko Tipsarevic).

Other than that, this one was off the chart.

Literally. Kohlschreiber finished with an absolutely ridiculous 104 winners in his incredible 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (11-9), 6-7 (3-7), 8-6 victory over Roddick that ended after 2 AM the next morning following three hours and 50 minutes of slugfest tennis.

Normally when one plays with the reckless abandon necessary to produce those kinds of shocking winner totals, a host of unforced errors go along with the spectacular moments. Not so for the German. Kohlschreiber committed a mere 33 unforced errors. For those who are counting (and you might want to, since these numbers are nothing short of legendary), that’s a mind-boggling 73 more winners than errors.

Kohlschreiber was so good that he made Roddick’s stats look merely pedestrian on a day when they normally would have headline-makers. The American struck 79 aces and fired 42 aces, his best effort ever in the ace department.

“The whole match, the whole game for me was perfect, I think, today,” said Kohlschreiber.

“I took his best stuff for five sets and I thought I was going to get him to break or to fold,” Roddick explained. “I thought if I kept it on him long enough that that would happen.

“When you decide to be a pro athlete, you’re going to have ups, you’re going to have downs, you’re going to have extreme highs and extreme lows. That’s just the nature of the beast,” added Roddick, who–five years ago–was on the winning end of one of the most amazing matches in Australian Open history. His 21-19 thriller over Younes El Aynaoui in the 2003 quarterfinals will get some well-deserved recognition of its own around here as the 2009 Aussie Open draws nearer. For now, it’s all about Kohlschreiber-Roddick.

“This was an all-out battle,” gushed ESPN analyst Luke Jensen “We didn’t see just one player in the zone — they were both there. Roddick never once in this match decided to take the conservative route. He was throwing screamers at Kohlschreiber, but it wasn’t enough. Roddick did not lose this match. Kohlschreiber beat him.

“I don’t remember if I have ever seen two guys play so flawlessly.”

Could anyone disagree?

1. 1. Marcos Baghdatis vs. Lleyton Hewitt

If Australian Open tournament organizers were starting to get worried that this one would not end before the next day’s action was schedule to start, could you blame them?

OK,that’s overdoing just a bit, but the third-round encounter between Marcos Baghdatis and Lleyton Hewitt produced the latest finish in tennis history. What began at 11:48 on Friday, January 18 ended four hours and 45 minutes later at 4:33 in the morning of Saturday, January 19. When it was all said and done, Hewitt emerged from the epic scrum with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-3 victory.

It could have been over much sooner, destined not to go down in Australian Open lore. Hewitt led two sets to one and 5-1 in the fourth set, one game from victory. Aussie fans who were still awake, although thrilled that their man was on the brink of victory, were scrambling for the exits. Any departure, however, would have been grossly premature. Baghdatis broke back twice and even saved a match point at 2-5, 30-40, eventually winning the fourth set in a tiebreaker to force a decisive fifth.

A mentally-strong Hewitt finally finished off a physically-exhausted Baghdatis with a second break of serve in the fifth set. Hewitt capitalized on his fifth match point of the grueling encounter with a huge down-the-line forehand return winner. Thus ended a night (and day), that had it all: unruly fans, injury timeouts, foot-faults, double-faults, chokes, amazing comebacks; everything.

“It wasn’t easy for both of us with the late finish after an incredible day’s tennis when Roger Federer was taken so long in his match and it was tough for everybody, but we just tried to put this behind us on court,” Hewitt explained.

“I love the game,” remarked Baghdatis. “I lost the match, but I came out with so many good emotions. I had really so much fun, and the crowd was great… I’m a bit disappointed, that’s for sure, but I’m just really happy the way I’m playing, and I’m ready for the season.”

Unfortunately, this would be the highlight of 2008 for both Baghdatis and Hewitt. Injuries derailed the remainder of their years. But what a highlight it was!

The Hewitt-Baghdatis epic capped off one of the most remarkable two-day stretches in Grand Slam history. It included Philipp Kohlschreiber’s winner-filled five-set upset of Andy Roddick on Thursday night, James Blake’s first-ever comeback from two sets down (over Sebastien Grosjean on Friday afternoon), and Federer’s nail-biting 10-8 in the fifth win over Janko Tipsarevic, which caused the Friday night session to start so late.

Honorable mention to round out the Top 5:

James Blake vs. Sebastien Grosjean. Blake had only won one five-set match in his entire career before the Australian Open, but he had certainly never come back from two sets down. He did against Grosjean in the third round, recovering from losing the first to sets to prevail 0, 6(5), and 2 in the third, fourth, and fifth. Blake went on to reach the quarterfinals, where he fell to Federer.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Novak Djokovic. The final featured one player (Djokovic) in his second career Grand Slam final and another (Tsonga) in his first, but it managed to surpass expectations. Tsonga was not as absolutely on fire as he was throughout the tournament, but he produced some spectacular stuff to win the first set in a dramatic tiebreaker. In the end, however, Djokovic’s experience showed and the Serb prevailed in a fourth-set tiebreaker.

It’s not quite the U.S. Open Series, but a new-look Australian Open Series in 2009 will provide plenty of excitement leading up to the first Grand Slam of 2009.

The U.S. Open Series, of course, features two Masters Series events in Canada and Cincinnati, as well as tournaments in Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New Haven, and the winner of the series gets double prize money at the ensuing U.S. Open.

With the Australian Open beginning the third Monday in January, there clearly isn’t enough time to produce anything that extensive. There are only two weeks available between the start of the calendar year and the start of the Aussie Open.

Still, 2009’s Australian Open Series will be bigger and better than ever. Two tournaments (one each week) will take place in Brisbane and Sydney, and both will be combined men’s (ATP) and women’s (WTA) events. A third tournament in Hobart, Australia, is exclusively a WTA Tour event and will be going on simultaneously to the tournament in Sydney.

Brisbane is a new host, as the previously separate men’s (the Next Generation Adelaide International) and women’s (Gold Coast’s Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts) events. Players who have already committed on the men’s side are Novak Djokovic (and his brother, Marko), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Marcos Baghdatis, Richard Gasquet, and Mardy Fish. Women’s commitments have already been received from Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Na Li, and Samantha Stosur.

“I am expecting a high quality field, some excellent weather and a great venue,” Ivanovic said. “It will be the perfect launching pad for my preparation for the Australian Open.”

At the Medibank International in Sydney one week later, Dmitry Tursunov is the defending champion on the men’s side. He will be joined by Tsonga and Gasquet, who teamed up to win the doubles title earlier this year and will be playing back-to-back weeks leading up the Australian Open 2009 following their appearances in Brisbane. Also on the men’s menu are David Nalbandian, Gilles Simon, Lleyton Hewitt, and Tommy Robredo. Women who have committed to Sydney include Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, and Amelie Mauresmo. There will be no defending champion on the women’s side, as now-retired Justine Henin captured the trophy in 2008.

Sydney is still seeking its greatest coup, which it hopes will come in the form of either Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray, or both. “We may be an outside chance, but as long as we are a chance I am going after them,” said tournament director Craig Watson of the chances of getting Nadal and Murray to play. “We have a terrific men’s field with the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Nalbandian, and Tommy Robredo. But Nadal and Murray would bolster any field in the world.”

The Moorilla Hobart International is not as big in terms of prize money or names of players, but it is a good chance for several of the second-tier women to gain momentum heading into Melbourne. Patty Schnyder is the lone commitment at this point, although one can only assume that Eleni Daniilidou, who captured the championship this season, will be back to defend her title.

The Domain Tennis Centre in Hobart will unveil new courts just as the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre did earlier this year. All of the Australian Open Series tournaments will be played on the same True Blue Plexicushion surface as the Australian Open.

“The upgrades to the facilities in Sydney and Hobart, as well as the brand new complex in Brisbane, will ensure the future growth of the AO Series in this changing world environment for tennis,” said the CEO of Tennis Australia, Steve Wood. “It will strengthen the attraction for top players to prepare here in Australia prior to the Australian Open. All three events will have top quality fields and provide tennis fans in three states with the chance to see some great tennis,” Wood stated.

“With many players coming out of the northern hemisphere’s winter, the AO Series events give them the opportunity to acclimatise and get some world-class matches prior to the Australian Open,” added Wood.

The Australian Open Series, however, is not the only option players have for fine-tuning their games before the big one in Melbourne. Men’s events will also be taking place in Doha, Qatar and Chennai, India while the Brisbane tournament is going on, and in Auckland, New Zealand while the event in Sydney is going on.

All three of those tournaments have done some nice work luring away talent from the Australian Open Series. Roger Federer will be in Doha, and presumably Andy Murray will return to defend his 2008 title. Carlos Moya, Nikolay Davydenko, and Stanislas Wawrinka are the early singles commitments so far for the Chennai Open. Hometown heroes Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will also be making doubles appearances, with Lukas Dlouhy and Mark Knowles, respectively. The Bryan Brothers (Bob and Mike) will also be taking part in the doubles event.

The Heineken Open in Auckland has already booked Juan Martin Del Potro and Spaniards David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro. Tournament director Richard Palmer is especially excited about landing Del Potro. “He really is the big mover on the tour,” Palmer explained of Del Potro. “He won four tournaments in a row; how many people do that? Even your Nadals and Federers didn’t do that as a teenager. It’s a pretty phenomenal effort.”

The women will be competing in Auckland at the ASB Classic one week earlier, while the Brisbane event is ongoing. Dementieva, Nadia Petrova, Caroline Wozniacki, and most recently Katarina Srebotnik are the headliners for Auckland so far. “The confirmation of Katarina caps off a terrific top-four players for the 2009 ASB Classic,” said tournament director Brenda Perry. “Katarina is a very talented player who is very popular in Auckland and it’s great to have her back following her best ever season.” The full tournament list will be revealed on November 26.

Not to be forgotten is the Kooyong Classic, a men’s event which often steals the most headlines despite the fact that it is just an exhibition event. It often draws some of the best players in the world, and 2009 will be no different. The field of eight players will feature Roger Federer, James Blake, Stanislas Wawrinka, Fernando Gonzalez, Ernests Gulbis, Marcos Baghdatis, Marat Safin, and Marin Cilic.

Clearly, even though many tennis fans consider the Australian Open to be the true beginning of every season, a lot will be going on well before the curtain is raised in Melbourne. Led by the new and improved Australian Open Series, the first two weeks of 2009 will reveal a lot on both the men’s and women’s sides in terms of who is a contender for the Australian Open 2009 and who is just a pretender.