First Serve: January 4-10

Reading between the lines: TENNIS.com's Monday morning quarterback, Ed McGrogan, recaps last week's pro tennis action—and offers his reaction.

Last Week's Tournaments

- He’s not entering the season with the sky-high expectations (win the Aussie Open or bust) that David Nalbandian and Andy Murray faced in recent years, but many are forecasting Robin Soderling to take another large leap in 2010. That’s a tough ask – ascending from the side courts to the show courts is one thing, but gaining ground inside the Top 10 is an entirely different task. The Swede’s 2010 campaign got off to a rocky start in Chennai where, as the tournament’s top seed, he lost in the first round to Robby Ginepri, 6-4, 7-5. It should be noted, however, that Soderling had defeated Roger Federer in the Abu Dhabi exhibition just a few days earlier.

- Lost in the feel-good vibes of the Hopman Cup was a surprising score: Sabine Lisicki over Elena Dementieva, 6-4, 6-1. My last image of the big-serving German was of her writhing on the court at the U.S. Open after she sprained her ankle. She’s had a few good results since then, but nothing like this disposal of Dementieva. Though the match was only an exhibition, it’s nevertheless a good sign for the 20-year-old, who should crack the Top 20 soon.

- Speaking of the Hopman Cup: Now that mixed doubles is an Olympic event, look for dual-gender tandems to use this early-season exo as a training site. Jon Wertheim suggested that the additional medal opportunity could be a boon for mixed draws at the Slams, but that’s asking a lot of top players whose tour aspirations are exclusively singles-based. Pressure-free Perth seems a more likely tournament at which Olympic hopefuls could practice.

- A hat tip to Younes El Aynaoui, who retired from tennis after his second-round defeat in Doha. Best known for his epic 2003 Australian Open quarterfinal match against Andy Roddick (4-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 21-19), the Moroccan beat American Ryler DeHeart in the opening round of the Qatar Open before falling to Steve Darcis.

- An iconic element of the Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry was lost last season when Nike started outfitting Rafa with sleeved shirts. Since there’s no going back now, I implore the designers at the Swoosh to keep Nadal bold and collar-less – the visual distinction between the two was always a neat part of their juxtaposition. Rafa’s newest threads are on the right track. (I love it; after all, I am a Syracuse Orange fan.)

- Was 2009 simply an off-year for Ana Ivanovic and James Blake, or the start of their respective career descents? Both plummeted in the rankings – Ivanovic started the season ranked No. 5 and finished at No. 22; Blake dipped from No. 10 to No. 44 – and at times, both looked miserable on the court. Our first glimpses of them in 2010 were encouraging, but questions remain. In Brisbane, Ivanovic reached the semis, but needed three sets to beat both Jelena Dokic and Timea Bacsinszky – hardly Murderer’s Row – and didn’t pose any threat to Justine Henin, losing 6-3, 6-2 in 66 minutes. Blake scored a solid victory against Sam Querrey, then saved three match points to beat Marc Gicquel, but was sent home in the quarters by Gael Monfils after losing a one-set lead.

- In the signature line from Good Will Hunting, Chuckie (Ben Affleck) tells Will (Matt Damon) that the best part of his day is, “The 10 seconds before I knock on the door, 'cause I let myself think I might get there, and you’d be gone.” I don’t share the same feelings toward Gaston Gaudio – in fact, quite the opposite – but I do check the brackets every week to see if he’s still competing. Now ranked No. 166, the 2004 French Open champ continues to grind it out on the Challenger Tour; last week, he lost in the first round of Sao Paulo to Ricardo Mello, 6-1, 6-4. Faced with the real possibility of getting shellacked by players nearly half his age – like stud 18-year-old Grigor Dimitrov – Gaudio, now 31, should be commended for his commitment.

- Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Yanina Wickmayer: Who was the Belgian of the week? One could make a case for any of the three, but my vote goes to Wickmayer. After two months of distractions, the U.S. Open semifinalist stormed through the Auckland draw, dropping nary a set on her way to the title. Sure, she faced four unseeded players in her first four matches, but her 6-3, 6-2 thrashing of top seed Flavia Pennetta in the final was convincing. Fantastic start to the new year for the young Belgian.

- That said, I’d be remiss in not mentioning Henin’s play. Hindsight is 20/20, but after her opening victory against Nadia Petrova, you knew that Henin would be just fine. Choker or not, Petrova is a formidable opponent and was a good litmus test for Henin’s comeback bid. She passed it with flying colors, winning in straight sets (7-5, 7-5) in her first competitive contest since May 2008. Thereafter, her run to the final wasn’t altogether unexpected, and neither was her loss – however painfully close it was – to Clijsters in the final. There will be more chances to come. She’s back.

- As if Spain’s dominance in team tennis competition was ever in doubt, it now holds the Hopman Cup in addition to its recently-defended Davis Cup. The Triple Crown is unattainable, however: Spain was relegated to the World Group II during last year’s Fed Cup.

- No one will enter the Australian Open hotter than Nikolay Davydenko. A best-of-three beast, he closed 2009 with wins over Federer, Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro at the ATP World Tour Finals (which he won), then last week in Doha, again defeated Roger and Rafa – the latter after saving two match points – to collect his fourth title since the U.S. Open. The big question: Can he break through in best-of-five? I think it’s unlikely in Oz. While Davydenko’s consistency in ATP events has improved over the years, he’s regressed at the Slams, reaching just one quarterfinal since 2007 – and that was on French clay. The Russian has proven that he can beat anyone on any given day. But beating everyone throughout a fortnight? I don’t see it happening.

This Week's Tournaments

Ed McGrogan is an assistant editor for TENNIS.com.