nice to see the gals pretty and relaxed. i like them all, so i hope things go well… especially for ana and safina. if they could just get their serves to be more consistent and powerful, plus improved mental toughness and calm in big points, i think they can both do well at the slams. ana could win another and safina could get over the big hump and finally win her first! i think she would relax and enjoy more getting past that hurdle. it is hard to watch both of them sometimes, because so much of it can be mental and the toss. i tune in because i think they have it within themselves to win the big ones!

Not sure about the pressure making Ana Ivanovic “sharper”. If anything it seems to have triggered her free falls.

Good on Safina to stand up for herself. So sick of the rankings debate. Wish everyone would just stop harping on about this issue.

Having said that, going to ignore Safina until she decides to show up with her head screwed on in the latter stages of a slam.

Honestly, I think Dinara can do it. I get what Julie’s saying about her breakdowns (the FO was so, so bad!) but oddly, I still think she has what it takes. At the very least the “will she or won’t she” issue has become one of the tour’s best storylines!

Let’s say she does win a Slam? Does that open the floodgates or is she a one-slam wonder? I’m thinking she wins multiples – but obviously it all depends on getting the first one.

I think it’s safe to say that a LOT of things get into Safina’s head! I have never seen a top player self-destruct on a court like that (except Safin maybe!). Quite frankly, I can’t even watch her anymore, it’s too painful. Her game was never an attractive one but with the inevitable mental breakdowns, it’s downright ugly. Even as a dedicated Kuzzy fan, I still cringe whenever I think of that FO finale. If I were the new president of the WTA, I’d appoint her a sports psychologist. There is worse than having the #1 player without a Slam: the #1 player going Hara-kiri on the big stage (the GS) *every single time*.

Safina should never let anything like this get into her head. I hope this fuels her fire more. She’s working so hard to get there, she wants to show her brother that she can do it too. She’s getting into GS Finals. She’ll be winning Grand Slams. It just takes time to win. Andre Agassi peaked at 29. 23 is a good start.

Serena shouldn’t be aiming all these rants about ranking at Serena. It’s very unprofessional. We all know she’s the women’s top player, but come on. Her 3 GS wins already speak for themselves. There is no point torturing another player for some faulty system. It’s kinda a bad, weird case of sour grapes.

Ana is looking prettier than ever. I hope she’ll go up the rankings before the year ends. Hope she won’t disappoint.

I don’t know if Wozniacki can get to number one. Maybe in a couple of years. She’s young and she has a lot of opportunities, but the Williams sisters are clearly dominating the game for many years now.

Thanks for the coverage freakyfrites.