Australian Open 2009

Good news for tennis lovers!!
The Australian Open Grand Slam will be started at January 19, a few days later.
The buzz and the news are as hot as ever, welcoming the top players to the first Grand Slam of 2009 at Melbourne Park.
Some of the great names and black horses for the tournament are:

Men Singles:

1. Rafael Nadal
Most probably become the first seed for men singles, Rafa is the number one player in the world right now. His epic victory against Roger Federer in the grass court of Wimbledon last year is still becoming a hot topic in predicting the result of this tournament. Unfortunately for him and his supporters, his best result in hard court Grand Slam (US and Australia) is last year's semifinal. This and his recent defeat in Qatar Exxon Tornament indicates he still has to prove his ability in hard court. However, he is certainly not to be underestimated for this tourament.
My prediction : depending on the seeding, he has better chance of reching the final when he encounters less agressive type of opponent. It's save to say that he at least can reach quarter or semifinal.

2. Roger Federer
Who dare to doubt the Fed express? Tough luck, apperantly the Fed still hasn't got the best of him yet. The result of recent preparation tournament gives the same conclusion as last year's result : The Fed is still not as good as he used to be. But Roger is still Roger. Underestimating him is the least thing any player want to do. Can the legend shines again just like last year's US Open? We have to wait and see.
My prediction : With his experience, well, at least semifinal is a fine achievement. However, with the current rivalry and his conditio, he is really unfavorable to win.

3. Novak Djokovic
Last year's champs, hmm... The Serbian hero sure is a strong contender. He can play wonderfully at the right circumstances, however, his biggest drawback is his unstable performance. The recent loss in Exxon indicates this.
My prediction : Tough, tough job for Novak. He played well last year, but there are also luck factors (involving seeding and other stuffs) playing apart his win last year. I wouldn't say he is not in a winning track, but in he current condition, he really has to step up his play. If he is not careful, he can lose before even reaching semis.

4. Andy Murray
The Great Britain's hope. He is really on fire recently. Winning 2 tournamnts back-to-back is what I called big threat for his opponent. His surprising perforance continues his last year's winning run in a few last ATP Tournament (Win in Cincinnanti and Toronto). He is, possibly, the biggest threat in this year's championship.
My prediction : Final, maybe. Hey, it's not impossible for him to win with his ability right now. Maybe this year is his time to shine?

Unfortunately, I can't write it all right now. I promise I will contine the story soon.
For all my friends, please post your version of prediction here. It might be fun to see whose favourite player win.
Seeds: Men
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP)
2. Roger Federer (SUI)
3. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
4. Andy Murray (GBR)
5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
6. Gilles Simon (FRA)
7. Andy Roddick (USA)
8. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
9. James Blake (USA)
10. David Nalbandian (ARG)
11. David Ferrer (ESP)
12. Gael Monfils (FRA)
13. Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)
14. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
15. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
16. Robin Soderling (SWE)
17. Nicolas Almagro (ESP)
18. Igor Andreev (RUS)
19. Marin Cilic (CRO)
20. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
21. Tommy Robredo (ESP)
22. Radek Stepanek (CZE)
23. Mardy Fish (USA)
24. Richard Gasquet (FRA)
25. Ivo Karlovic (CRO)
26. Marat Safin (RUS)
27. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
28. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)
29. Dmitry Tursunov (RUS)
30. Rainer Schuettler (GER)
31. Jurgen Melzer (AUT)
32. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)
Seeds: Women
1. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
2. Serena Williams (USA)
3. Dinara Safina (RUS)
4. Elena Dementieva (RUS)
5. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
6. Venus Williams (USA)
7. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
8. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
9. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
10. Nadia Petrova (RUS)
11. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
12. Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
13. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
14. Patty Schnyder (SUI)
15. Alize Cornet (FRA)
16. Marion Bartoli (FRA)
17. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)
18. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
19. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)
20. Amelie Mauresmo (FRA)
21. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP)
22. Jie Zheng (CHN)
23. Agnes Szavay (HUN)
24. Sybille Bammer (AUT)
25. Kaia Kanepi (EST)
26. Ai Sugiyama (JPN)
27. Maria Kirilenko (RUS)
28. Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
29. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS)
30. Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN)
31. Alona Bondarenko (UKR)
32. Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA)

As you can see, a few Asian player also seeded. Interested in supporting them??
Information:
www.atpworldtour.com
www.australianopen.com
The Australian Open will be showed live on Star Sport from Monday, January 19, 2009