Saturday 15th January, 2010 15 Australian Open men’s capsules BY DENNIS PASSA MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Men to watch at the Australian Open, which begins Monday (rankings in parenthe- ses): ANDY MURRAY (5) Age: 23 Country: Britain 2010 Singles Titles: 2 Career Singles Titles: 16 Major Titles: 0 Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-F, ‘09-4th, ‘08-1st, ‘07-4th, RAFAEL NADAL (1) ‘06-1st, ‘05-DNP. Topspin: Murray is 0-2 in Grand Slam finals - both loss- es to Roger Federer, at the 2008 U.S. Open and 2010 Australian RAFAEL NADAL (1) Open - and he’s trying to become the first British man to win Age: 24 last year’s French Open, Wimbledon a major championship since Fred Perry in 1936. The pressure Country: Spain and U.S. Open. That would take his of that task showed when he made a tearful speech after last 2010 Match Record: 71-10 Grand Slam total to 10. The Spaniard is year’s loss at Rod Laver Arena. Played with British team- 2010 Singles Titles: 7 aiming to be the first man since Rod mate Laura Robson at the Hopman Cup two weeks ago, and Career Singles Titles: 43 Laver to hold all four Grand Slam tro- the Kooyong exhibition this week to try to hone his game Major Titles: 9 - Wimbledon (‘08, phies at once, although it won’t be a ahead of Melbourne Park. ‘10), Australian Open (‘09), true Grand Slam - Laver won all four in French Open (‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘10), a calendar year in 1969. Got 2011 off to U.S. Open (‘10). a slow start by losing ANDY MURRAY (5) Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10- in the Qatar Open semifinals to Quarterfinals, ‘09-Won Championship, Nikolay Davydenko, and then had his ‘08-Semifinals, ‘07-QF, ‘06-4th round. first practice cut short by rain in Topspin: Heads to Melbourne Park Melbourne last week. ANDY RODDICK (8) looking for a “Rafa Slam” after winning Age: 28 ROGER FEDERER (2) Country: United States Age: 2010 Singles Titles: 2 29 Country: Switzerland Career Singles Titles: 29 2010 Match Record: Major Titles: 1 - U.S. Open (‘03) 2010 Singles Titles: 65-13 Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-QF, ‘09-SF, ‘08-3rd, ‘07-SF, Career Singles Titles:5 ‘06-4th, ‘05-SF. Major Titles: 67 Topspin: Considers the Australian Open his best chance of (‘03, ‘04, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07,16 ‘09),- U.S. Australian Open (‘04, Open ‘05, ‘06, (‘04, ‘07, ‘06,‘08), ‘07, Wimbledon winning a second major to go with his 2003 U.S. Open, but has ‘10), French Open (‘09). never gotten to the final here. Lost in the quarterfinals last Last 5 Australian Opens: year to Marin Cilic in five sets. A mild case of mononucleosis ‘05-SF. ‘10-W, ‘09-RU, ‘08-SF, ‘07-W, ‘06-W, affected his play last year. His career record against fellow top- Topspin: At last year’s Australian Open, his 41st straight Grand 10 players is poor - 35-62 - which hasn’t helped his chances in Slam tournament, he became the fifth man after Jack Crawford, Ken the big tournaments. Won the Brisbane International to start Rosewall, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi in the tournament’s history 2010, lost in the final to Soderling this year in the same event. ANDY RODDICK (8) to win four titles and first since Agassi in 2003. Started his 2011 campaign by winning the Qatar Open without dropping a set and becoming the first three-time winner in Doha following titles in NOVAK DJOKOVIC (3) 2005 and 2006. He had reached 23 major semifinals in a row until Age: 23 ROBIN SODERLING (4) losing in the quarterfinals at last year’s French Open to Robin Country: Serbia Age: 26 Soderling. Federer also lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and 2010 Match Record: 61-18 Country: Sweden in the semis at the U.S. Open. 2010 Singles Titles: 2 2010 Singles Titles: 2 Career Singles Titles: 18 Career Singles Titles: 7 Major Titles: 1 - Australian Open (‘08) Major Titles: 0 Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-QF, ‘09-QF, ‘08-W, ‘07-4th, ‘06- Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-1st, ‘09-2nd, ‘08-DNP, ‘07-1st, 1st, ‘05-1st. ‘06-DNP Topspin: Finished last year No. 3 for fourth year in a row, Topspin: Started this year off with a win at the Brisbane winning two titles, reaching quarterfinals or better in all International, beating Andy Roddick in the final, giving KIM CLIJSTERS (3) four Grand Slams for first time in a season, including a final. him a boost going into the Australian Open, where’s he’s per- Age: 27 He also led Serbia to Davis Cup title while going 7-0 in singles. formed abysmally. Country: Belgium Returning to the scene of his only Grand Slam win - in 2008 - Lost in the first round at Melbourne Park last year in five 2010 Match Record: 40-7 but where he lost last year in the quarterfinals to Jo-Wilfried sets to Marcel Granollers of Spain. Lost in the second round 2010 Singles Titles: 5 Tsonga. His match record of 61-18 was respectable, but was 4- in 2009, the 1st in 2007 and didn’t play in 2008 and 2006. But his Career Singles Titles: 40 8 against top-10 opponents. Played with fellow Serbian Ana stock hasrisen considerably in last year’s other Grand Slams, Major Titles: 3 - U.S. Open (‘05, ‘09, Ivanovic at the Hopman Cup this month and qualified for the losing in the French Open final to Rafael Nadal at the French ‘10) final, but missed out when Ivanovic had to pull out with an and exiting in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-3rd, abdominal injury. Open. ‘09-DNP, ‘08-DNP, ‘07-SF, ‘06-SF, ‘05-DNP Topspin: Made her first year back after 2 1/2 years of retirement one to remember, winning five sin- gles titles, including her third U.S. Australian Open Open championship, second in a row and 40th overall title of her career. Clijsters is still popular Down Under because she was women’s capsules once engaged to Lleyton Hewitt. When she won the 2009 U.S. Open, she BY DENNIS PASSA became the first mother to win a Grand Slam MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Women to watch at the singles title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Australian Open, which begins Monday (rankings in parenthe- Wimbledon in 1980. During her absence from the ses): tour, she got married and had a daughter. VENUS WILLIAMS (5) Age: 30 SAM STOSUR (6) KIM CLIJSTERS (3) Country: United States Age: 26 2010 Match Record: 38-7 Country: Australia 2010 Singles Titles: 2 2010 Match Record: 47-19 Career Singles Titles: 43 2010 Singles Titles: 1 CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (1) Age: 20 Major Titles: 7 - U.S. Open (‘00, ‘01), Wimbledon Career Singles Titles: 2 Country: Denmark (‘00, ‘01, ‘05, Major Titles: 0 2010 Match Record: 62-17 ‘07, ‘08) Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-4th, ‘09-3rd, 2010 Singles Titles: 6 Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-QF, ‘09- ‘08-DNP, ‘07-2nd, Career Singles Titles: 12 2nd, ‘08-QF, ‘07-DNP, ‘06-4th. Major Titles - 0 ‘06-1st, ‘05-4th. Topspin: Last year marked her first top-10 Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-4th round, ‘09-3rd, ‘08-4th, Topspin: Hasn’t reached the final here season, winning her second WTA title at ‘07-DNP, ‘06-DNP. since 2003, when she lost to sister Serena Charleston, defeating Zvonareva in the final. Topspin: Made Grand Slam breakthrough in 2009 in New York in their fourth consecutive Grand Slam She lost the French Open final in straight by reaching first career major final, beating 2005 U.S. Open cham- final meeting, and will have to make do sets to Italy’s Francesca Schiavone, the first pion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round and stopping this year at Melbourne Park without the Australian woman to reach a Grand Slam American teen Melanie Oudin’s surprising run in the quarterfi- support of her sister and defending final in 30 years. Stosur made four semifinals nals. Seeded No. 1 at a Grand Slam tournament for the second time champion, who is recovering from a in 2010, but in five other events she lost her in a row - she lost in the semifinals at last year’s U.S. Open. A ris- foot injury. Hasn’t won a Grand Slam opening matches, including at Wimbledon. ing talent, won half of her 12 singles titles title outside of Wimbledon since 2001, The home crowd at Melbourne Park may not in 2010. when she won her second U.S. Open be much of an advantage because the added championship in a row. VENUS WILLIAMS (5) pressure seems to affect her concentration. JUSTINE HENIN (12) Age: 28 Country: Belgium 2010 Record: 32-8 2010 Singles Titles: 2 Career Singles Titles: 43 Major Titles: 7 - French Open (‘03, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07), U.S. Open (‘03, ‘07), Australian Open (‘04). Last 5 Australian Opens: ‘10-Final, ‘09-DNP, ‘08-QF, ‘07-DNP, ‘06-F. Topspin: Yet another homecoming for Henin at Melbourne Park. She lost the final here last year to Serena Williams only three tournaments into a comeback to the tour after 20 months in retirement. Won the Australian title in 2004, retired in the final against Amelie Mauresmo in ‘06 and lost to Sharapova in the quarterfinals in ‘08, only a few months before she quit, becoming the only woman to retire while ranked No. 1. She withdrew from all post-Wimbledon events in 2010 with a right elbow injury.