Introducing On the Baseline’s 2008 Players to Watch Series
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Dec 10, 2007 | Print | Email | Bookmark | Free Subscription
The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season begins in only twenty-one days at the Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts and ASB Classic tournaments.
Over the next two weeks, join On the Baseline for an in-depth look at the players to watch in the New Year.
Featuring guest articles and exclusive interviews with several Tour players, journalists, and tennis bloggers, the 2008 Players to Watch series will spotlight many familiar stars, as well as the brightest newcomers in women’s tennis.
Special Preview!
How Well Does the Tour’s Top Doubles Team Really Know Each Other?
With three Grand Slam titles already to their credit, the doubles team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber know each other’s tennis games perfectly. But how well do they know each other off the court? We posed the same questions to Cara and Liezel separately, but with a small twist. They had to answer not only for themselves, but for each other!
Dinara Safina Makes Her Mark as Russians Continue to Dominate
One of a half dozen Russians in the top 15, Dinara Safina enjoyed a solid season in 2007. Journalist Paula Vergara examines the twenty-one year old’s recent achievements in both singles and doubles.
A New Szensation?
Agnes Szavay is rightly contending for the Best Newcomer of the Year distinction in the 2007 On the Baseline Awards. WTA Backspin’s Todd Spiker believes the best is still yet to come from the young Hungarian.
Ten Questions with Marion Bartoli
2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli gives the scoop on her magical Wimbledon run, her father’s role as her coach, off-season training plans, and most importantly, her goals for 2008.
She’s Already at the Top, So What’s Next?
World number one Justine Henin is fresh off the best season of her career, but she still has new heights to climb in 2008. Tennis Info Blog’s Nina Alberti takes a look at the Belgian’s record in 2007 - and the competition already preparing for her in 2008.
Will 2008 Be Katarina Srebotnik’s Breakthrough Year?
Tomaz Mencinger of Tennis Thoughts has three good reasons why Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik may have the best season of her career in 2008.
Is Thirty the New Twenty?
OTB’s Aaress Lawless recaps the careers of Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, and Mary Pierce, with a look at their chances to successfully come back to the Tour next season.
Tamira Paszek May Pose Threat to Top Tennis Players in 2008
Tamira Paszek may be the youngest player in the top 280, but she pushed Justine Henin in close matches twice in 2007. Marija Zivlak from Women’s Tennis Blog believes that Paszek’s maturity and aggression may be the ticket to a successful year in 2008.
Ten Questions with Tamira Paszek
As a follow-up to Marija’s story on Paszek, we caught up with Tamira to learn about her dream job, her off-court interests, her Olympic plans, and her ascent up the Tour rankings in 2007.
Handing out the Grades
How well did your favorite star do in 2007? OTB grades the players who aced the season in 2007 - and those who still have some homework to complete before heading to Australia.
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Chris | Dec 11, 2007 | Reply
Oooh, I can’t wait!
I would love if Safina, Srebotnik, and Paszek really broke out in 2008.
Venusfan | Dec 11, 2007 | Reply
wow the off seasons going to be anything but boring with all that on OTB. cant wait!
Richard | Dec 11, 2007 | Reply
Yeah but in reality, who would pay to see Safina, Srebotnik, and Paszek? What intense action we will see from them out on Court 17. Those three players mentioned all play very boring games. For a set they may make aficionados think “Why aren’t they in the Top 10?”, then they will break down and lose in three. And Bartoli’s kinda fat so she better lose some luggage.
For Tier II/Tier III players fans may get behind: a healthy Li Na (who finished in the Top 30 with only 5 months of play, amazing) well known veterans like Sugiyama (who should still belong in that group with Pierce, Seles, Capriati, etc), Anna Lena Groenfeld after an intense diet, and youngsters such as Victoria Azarenka and Nicole Vaidslova who are not only attractive compared to the first three mentioned above, but plays a more enjoyable game.
Those players are definitly who I’m following out of the typical Sharapova/Venus, etc.