Monday Wrap – Warming up

Week one is behind us, and we have our first winners of the season. What’s there to say so far? Nadal didn’t make it to the final in Chennai, but we can hardly call this a surprise anymore.

Good for Malisse that he clinched the title after upsetting the Spaniard. The X-man is now 2 out of 10 in finals.

When was the last time Rafa bagged a title? That’s right, Roland Garros. Perhaps the Federer rivalry was a bit overhyped after all.

The Australian Open will be a key event for Rafa in 2007. Even though the 20-year-old has no points to defend, there’s a lot of confidence at stake. A strong performance will lift Nadal’s spirits and could signal the beginning to a true contention for the number one position, whereas an early loss will further diminish any faith Rafa has left in his game.

Ivan Ljubicic is making it a tradition to start the year strong. In 2004 and 2005, the Croat reached the Doha final, in 2006 he tried his luck in Chennai and took home the trophy, and now, back in Qatar, he claimed the biggest title of the opening week when he beat Andy Murray in straight sets. Ljubo gets to lead the Champions Race for a week or two as a bonus.

While teen star Murray started well, fellow youngster Novak Djokovic started better. The 19-year-old Serb cruised through all of his matches in Adelaide, until he faced surprise Aussie Chris Guccione in the final. Ranked 153, the home fans weren’t expecting anything of the big 21-year-old. Especially if you consider Lleyton Hewitt returned to action in the same event. On final’s day, people weren’t talking about Hewitt though. Guccione played his first ATP final, and he almost surprised one of the biggest upcomers in the game. I bet Lleyton really wants to get fit for Melbourne now.

Jelena Jankovic is becoming a real threat on the WTA Tour. Having won the title in Auckland makes her a very dangerous outsider for the Aus Open. Remember the first few months of 2006? Jelena almost quit playing because she was tired of losing. A year later, she’s knocking on the Top 10 door.

Martina Hingis said after her loss to Dinara Safina in the Gold Coast final, the Russian will go on to have a greater career than her brother Marat, who has won three Grand Slam titles, and topped the ATP rankings in 2000. Perhaps Hingis’ engagement to Radek Stepanek wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Then there was this exhibition event in Hong Kong. Even though it was no official tournament, when you have Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Patty Schnyder, Elena Dementieva and Nicole Vaidisova competing, things get interesting. It was Clijsters versus Sharapova in the final, with the Belgian claiming first place. Looks like Kim could be saying farewell to the Australian Open in style.

One week to go. Bring on the heat.