On the Baseline Tennis News

Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva and Agnieszka Radwanska are the top four seeds at the $700,000 Premier tournament in Paris, France.

Vera Zvonareva, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova and Sybille Bammer are the top four seeds at the $220,000 International tournament in Pattaya City, Thailand.

Russia, Italy, Czech Republic and the United States have reached the semifinal round of the 2009 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.

Aces

Dinara Safina plans to maintain a training base in Croatia. (AFP)

Tennis Channel will provide complete coverage of the U.S. Fed Cup team’s first round match up in Surprise, Ariz., this weekend, with live telecasts Saturday and Sunday.

Tennis Channel will carry all matches live, beginning at 2 p.m. ET each day.

In the sport of tennis, there is not one specific litmus test for judging the real measure of greatness.

Grand Slams, prize money, Olympic medals and the No. 1 ranking are often touted as major achievements, but what do you consider to be the true test of a player’s greatness?

The ITF has announced the draws for the 2009 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group and World Group II first round ties to be played on February 7-8.

Former champion Nadia Petrova has officially entered the 2009 Family Circle Cup.

Making her fifth appearance in Charleston, Petrova returns with a 9-3 record at this event, including an active five-match win streak stemming from her 2006 title on Daniel Island.

Goodbye, US Open. Hello, Martha Stewart.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has elected former US Open chief and USTA CEO of Professional Tennis Arlen Kantarian as a member of the Board of Directors.

Picking Serena Williams to win a Grand Slam title is never easy.

Van Sias of Tennis Talk, Anyone tells why he did not pick Serena to win the Australian Open—-and what he plans to do about it the next time a Grand Slam rolls around.

Aces

The 2009 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Americas Zone Group I matches will be streamed live online. (Tennis Canada)

Former world number one Maria Sharapova’s plans to return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour have once again been delayed.

The three-time Grand Slam champion has pulled out of the upcoming Open GDF SUEZ and Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships because of continued shoulder trouble.

American Bethanie Mattek has withdrawn from the United States’ opening Fed Cup by BNP Paribas tie against Argentina because of a hip injury.

The United States Tennis Association announced on Tuesday that Mattek will be replaced on the squad by Fed Cup newcomer Julie Ditty.

Serena Williams recaptured the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour world number one ranking when the latest edition was released on Monday.

The 2009 Australian Open champion has now entered her 62nd non-consecutive week at the top of the rankings.

Twice a Grand Slam semifinalist by the age of 17, Nicole Vaidisova was once a feared phenom of the game. Toppling tennis behemoths became the trademark of this dazzling Czech beauty.

Now, just a few months shy of her 20th birthday, Vaidisova appears to be at a crossroads in her dwindling career.