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New Delhi: ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s leading sports broadcaster, will showcase live & exclusive action from Australian Open 2009 starting January 19, 2009. The first grand slam of the year will see the renewal of rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Nadal has been seeded at the helm this year followed by Roger Federer (no 2), Novak Djokovic (no 3) and Andy Murray (no 4). World No. 2 Roger Federer is expected to come back with a vengeance after he sustained a back injury in late 2008. While World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is gearing up to head down under with the goal of capturing his first Australian Open title after winning two grand slams in 2008 – a fourth successive French Open and a first Wimbledon. Watching Nadal and Federer heads-on in the final could be an exciting forecast for the major.
Year 2008 came in as a complete surprise for the tennis fans as the Grand Slam title was clinched by the first time winner and world No.3 Novak Djokovic beating unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in four sets; 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6. Djokovic looks extremely confident following his last win at the Masters Cup in Shanghai and is already eyeing his second Grand Slam title. Looking at the Women’s draw, defending champion Maria Sharapova's pullout from the Australian Open narrows the field of realistic contenders, with Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Ana Ivanovic, and the Williams sisters leading the title hunt. After having a surgery in October, Maria is still not confident of her fitness levels. Her absence from the tournament will open doors for a new champion. Serbia's Jankovic is World No. 1 despite never winning a Grand Slam, and could be poised to go the distance after crashing in the semis to Sharapova last year.
Veteran Serena Williams is searching for her 10th Grand Slam title and few would bet against the American pulling off another major win. Her sister Venus, the world number six, will also be a threat and is in fine form with wins over two top 10 players -- Jankovic and Russia's Vera Zvonareva -- in Hong Kong last week. Indian fans will be hoping to see an inspired performance from Sania Mirza in the inaugural grand slam of the year.
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