The 2008 tennis year is almost here and it's time to talk about what it will bring. The first tournament starts on Monday and fans around the world are ready for another exciting season.

Roger Federer and Justine Henin, without doubt, were the two dominant players in 2007. Unless something unusual happens (injuries for example), they will continue to dominate the game in 2008 and will be the players to beat.

But the Swiss and the Belgian aren't alone out there. A mass of great young players, especially on the women's side, came knocking on the door of the top ranks during 2007 and made an impression on the game.

‘The biggest question this year will once again be: Does Federer have what it takes to win the French?’


The players to watch in 2008 are mostly European. On the women's side we should watch closely youngsters Ana Ivanovic and Anna Chakvetadze, but also the continuing comeback of mum Lindsay Davenport, who is looking for a place in the Beijing Olympics this summer.

On the men's side, experts believe this should be Novak Djokovic's year, and all eyes will be on the Serbian to win his first Grand Slam. Another player tipped to win a major this year is Andy Murray, although he has been troubled with injuries and inconsistency. There's also a great crop of youngsters to watch. American Donald Young (18 years 4 months), Croat Marin Cilic (19 years 2 months), Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro (19 years 2 months), Latvian Ernests Gulbis (19 years 3 months) and Russian Evgeny Korolev (19 years 10 months) all made sound progress by entering the top 100 while still in their teenage years..

But not only tennis and results will be on the 2008 agenda. The ATP, WTA and governing body ITF will have their hands full trying to fix the bad things that happened in tennis during 2007. Gambling, match fixing and drugs reared their ugly heads, and if the sport wants to stay clean, major measures should be taken to tackle these problems while they are still relatively small.

The biggest question this year will once again be: Does Federer have what it takes to win the French? One thing is clear – if he wins in Paris, he will become even more dangerous then he is today, and we should all admit that is a scary thought!