New Years Resolutions for 2010 -- WTA

The second installment of hopes and dreams for the next year in tennis, coming to you here on the last day of the decade.

Wishes for '10 in the WTA:

1. We get to see Clijsters-Henin again.  I couldn't help but think that after Kim Clijsters won the 2009 US Open, Justine Henin announced her comeback just to spite her.  These two really don't like each other, which always makes for good WTA action.  Henin has owned Clijsters in the big matches of late, but it will be interesting to see if Clijsters 3.0 fares any better against Henin 2.0.
2. Maria Sharapova has better shoulder luck.  Maria Sharapova didn't get a chance to defend her 2008 Australian Open title, nor did she really get to play at full blast until Tokyo or so, when she abandoned a service motion that led to double faulting of Dementievan levels.  When she did switch her serve from stun to kill, she won Tokyo and made a pretty nice run at Beijing.  The switch was likely because of the calendar, as Sharapova realized she could go all-out on her serving at the end of the season since she'd have plenty of time to rest up.  Here's hoping she finds a way to go for broke without breaking herself in 2010.
   
3. Melanie Oudin proves to be no fluke.  We've seen plenty of players come out of nowhere with incredible runs at slams.  Melanie Oudin seems more legit because of the caliber of players she beat as well as the fact that she did it at back-to-back slams, but it would still surprise few to see a sophomore slump.  Here's hoping she can keep up her good form, and end 2010 at least in the 30-50 range.
   
4. Dinara Safina gets far, far away from the #1 ranking.  Historians will look back at Dinara Safina's time at #1 and wonder how anyone could watch such a ridiculously organized sport.  Filled with self-loathing, horrible tennis and mental breakdowns against even the most pedestrian of opponents (Kai-Chen Chang, anyone?), Dinara Safina made herself into a victim instead of the champion her ranking should have indicated.  Hopefully Safina can comfortably re-establish herself where she belongs, somewhere in the 10-15 range.
   
5. Jelena Jankovic stays giggly.  Before the 2009 season, Jelena Jankovic bulked up with muscle and lost her trademark speed.  She was then miserable until around Cincinnati, which she won.  The rest of her year was beset by family tragedies and injury, until she put together a nice run at Doha.  Hopefully the histrionics stay light-hearted, and Jankovic is able to play her peak tennis for a good part of 2010.
   
6. A slam final for Dementieva. Elena Dementieva has easily been the best player not to make a grand slam final in the last five years.  She came incredibly close at Wimbledon this year, within a Serena Williams reflex volley of the final.  She's made enormous strides mentally since her poor final showings in 2004, so I'm very eager to see her get another chance on one of tennis biggest stages.
   
7. No excuses for Jelena Dokic. Jelena Dokic was the story of the 2009 Australian Open, captivating crowds during her quarterfinal run.  But after that she was back to her usual whining, about injuries, lack of support, the schedule, etc.  She turned it around late in the year with some strong play at challengers, but for the most part her play in the Northern Hemisphere was forgettable at best.  There's a lot of pressure on her to defend her points in Melbourne this year, and she'll likely fall off the board completely if she crashes out early.  Whichever way it goes, let's hope the excuses stay to a minimum.
   
8. Alisa Kleybanova continues to be awesome, gets more consistent. Alisa Kleybanova is easily one of the most entertaining players on the WTA today.  She can stick with anyone, and plays these excruciatingly long, bloody matches against superior players that show off the best of the sport.  The problem is that before she gets to play the epic matches against top players, she too often quietly loses to some scrub in the first round.  Some focus in early round matches, and she could easily punch her way into the top 16 or so.
   
9. Kateryna Bondarenko becomes a legit threat to beat anyone.  It's so tough to pick a favorite Bondarenko, but these days mine is Kateryna.  She plays a classic, fearless, ball-bashing style, and does it with dramatics that perfectly toe the line between empowering and obnoxious.  With relatively few points to defend after Australia, a sharp KBond could make the top ten around Wimbledon.
   
10. Australians have a huge year.  Three of the most exciting players in women's tennis right now are Aussies, a country which hasn't had a grand slam finalist on the women's side in several decades.  Samantha Stosur made huge strides last year, making the French Open semifinal and flirting with the top ten.  She's ended her doubles partnership with Rennae Stubbs, likely in an attempt to focus more on singles.  The comeback efforts of Alicia Molik and Casey Dellacqua will also be very interesting to follow, especially early in the season as they fight for points on home soil.  And TDF interviewee Olivia Rogowska almost made headlines with her near upset of Dinara Safina at the US Open in 2009, so she should have a lot of confidence going into 2010 as well.

Happy 2010, everybody.  Let's hope its a super duper one.