There have been a few surprises on the WTA tour this year, but none more than the amazing battle for the world No.1 ranking, held for at least one week by no fewer than SIX players, almost unheard of in the women's game.

The depth of the tour is growing every year with Russia still churning out quality players and a whole host of new players entering the tour from less well known tennis nations such as Denmark, Estonia and Romania.

Power still rules women's tennis and there certainly will be a power struggle to hold on to the No.1 spot for Jelena Jankovic in 2009. She is still to win a Grand Slam event and many fans and players alike feel that she will not truly deserve top ranking until she breaks that record.

This is unfair on the Serbian girl, who probably plays more tournaments and matches than most on the tour throughout the season and her consistency over the whole 12 months has made her a fully deserved champion in my eyes. She has come close to Grand Slam success in 2008 and, who knows, may well win one of the majors next year.

Jankovic, though, has a lot of points to defend in the early part of the season. She started 2008 so strongly with semi-final appearances in the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells and a tournament victory in Miami, and is quite capable of reaching these stages again in the knowledge that she is the best in the world right now.

My tip for the top, however, will be Dinara Safina, especially in the first quarter of 2009. The Russian has been an under-achiever throughout her career until a string of brilliant results moved the younger sister of Marat Safin straight into the limelight. In May she won a Tier One tournament in Berlin defeating Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva in the same week, and followed that up with her first appearance in a Grand Slam final losing out to Ana Ivanovic at the French Open.

Dinara went on to win tournaments in S'Hertogenbosch, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Montreal before winning the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics and reaching the semi-finals of the US Open. She grew in strength throughout the season and her only disappointment was in the Tour-ending championships where she failed to win any of her round-robin matches, probably due to fatigue.

Safina has very few points to defend until her title defence in Berlin, and with a consistent start to 2009, especially at the Australian Open where she was a first round loser in 2008, Dinara could find herself at the top of the WTA rankings - and by some margin.

Let’s hope she has enough time to take a hard-earned break and be ready for the demands on 2009. A lot will depend now on how well she can cope with the pressures of being a tennis star rather than just a talented youngster. She is now ranked third in the world and good results will be expected this year.

Jankovic will have a number of other contenders for her crown though, not just Safina. The Williams sisters have shown they are back to their best and if they play a full Tour schedule in 2009 then anything is possible, maybe even a one-two world ranking.

The Russian contingent will be strong as usual with Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva all pushing each other for success. Can Maria Sharapova recover from injury to regain her dominance and will Ana Ivanovic be able to gain more consistency in her game for the whole season to challenge her team mate at the top?

One thing is for sure; the WTA tour is in for an exciting season and I am already anticipating a very competitive 2009. The mixture of veterans and newcomers, experience and raw talent will be a brilliant spectacle.

Don't forget the British girls either. They may not challenge for slams and No. 1 spots, but they are improving and that in itself is a huge achievement.