With the 2008 tennis season approaching, fans across the globe will be anticipating another high calibre year. This will be a year to remember, as it will be filled with high intensity action from the likes of Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and comeback queen Lindsay Davenport. Aside from the players defining the year, fresh events, the Olympics and a crop of new teenage athletes will help the new season be nothing short of extraordinary.

One of the biggest changes the tour will see is the addition of two new stops across the globe. In February players will have the option to head to the South American city of Viña del Mar. But in the second half of the season the tour will head to Doha, Qatar, for the prestigious season-ending Championships.

This is one of the reasons the Sony Ericsson tour is considered to be constantly growing and expanding across the world. Two notable absentees will be Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters. When the Belgian girl said she would retire in 2007, no one took the rumour seriously. But she has married and is now pregnant, so it seems that she is starting a new chapter in her life.

'Tennis fanatics across the world always look forward to the four Grand Slams'


But will she be like Lindsay Davenport and make a comeback after motherhood? Most likely, yes. As for Hingis, she left the tour again after being accused of taking drugs. But how could she use a drug and take to the court? It's virtually impossible because of the reactions the drug would cause. She wouldn’t be able to chase down balls, let alone score points. Now the tour will be left without the friendly Clijsters, who could do the splits off any shot and still track down another ball, and the brilliant Hingis, who wooed the world in her teenage years.

Tennis fanatics across the world always look forward to the four Grand Slams. This year should be no different, and you have to wonder who will dominate them and who will crumble under the pressure. in Perth this week, Serena Williams has already shown she is ready to defend her Australian Open title. But you can never count out her sister Venus or Justine Henin.

On the Parisian red clay, Henin will be a favourite to make the final for the fourth year in a row. She will still dominate through the draw, probably winning in straight sets until the final, where she will encounter one of the Williams sisters. But this could be the year that Venus wins the Grand Slam she lost to her sister earlier in her career.

Serena will be one to watch out for, though, at the All England Club. This is the best chance for an all-Williams Final, but because of an intense first half of the year, Venus will fall short in her Wimbledon defence and will hand the Venus Rosewater Dish over to her little sister. As for the US Open, Serena will continue to perform strong and will ease into the final, regardless of whether Henin is in her path or not. Venus and Serena will both show the tennis world that they are forces to reckon with.

Once again Venus, Serena and Henin will be the main contenders for an Olympic medal in Beijing. But look out for Jelena Jankovic to make a big run, even possibly taking a medal in the end. Serena will take gold though, Henin silver, and a toss up for bronze between both Jankovic and Venus Williams. The Williams girls will be hot for the doubles title, but watch out for a spot of local influence from Yan Zi and Jie Zheng plus Yung Jun Chan and Chia Jung Chaung.

The year will, of course, culminate with the season-ending Championships in Doha. As the defending champion, Henin will be eager to defend her title for the third year in a row. But both Venus and Serena will be there alongside her, and if the sisters are positioned just right they could make it to the final together. But look out for Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, because they know how to go further than they did in 2007. 

One group of women to always look out for are the Russians. Maria Sharapova came back strong at the end of  2007 and will most likely continue to get back into the top of the game. Svetlana Kuznetsova may make a couple of final appearances but nothing substantial. The ones to look out for will be Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova; Dementieva pulled off a stunning win against Serena in the final of the Kremlin Cup, and it is possible that Anastasia Myskina could make a comeback after spending most of the 2007 season sidelined.

Once again the season will be highlighted by emerging young stars, so look out for players like Tamira Pazsek, Tatiana Golovin and Bethanie Mattek making the breakthrough.

What I am most looking forward to is the continued comeback of Lindsay Davenport, who returned to competition in the second half of the 2007 season after becoming a mother. She was able to claim two titles in her return, and if she can do that, then what will she do in a full calendar year? She will probably make the quarter-finals or better in some Grand Slams and will be a big force to be reckoned with at the Olympics.

Either way, the 2008 season will be one to remember. How could you ask for something more when you have Davenport returning, Venus and Serena continuing their resurgence, and the dominance of Henin? And to add to all that the Olympics are back this season. There shouldn’t be a dull moment during 2008.