I’ll get to Stepanek in a minute, but Nadal has had to work incredibly hard to earn his place this week.  In two consecutive matches: his countrymen Almagro and T-Rob each served for the match against him.  Setting the stage for him to play his best match of the week in beating the talented Frenchmen Jo- Willy Tsonga, ending Tsonga’s chances to make the year end championship.

Okay for Stepanek, the guy is having a career year at age 31 this month. I love stories like this where a guy has battled through a lot of injuries to play his best tennis of his career.

He has also led his country in Davis Cup to the finals to play Spain next month.

He’s got a very sneaky eclectic game.  Moves tremendously for his age and is fit as a fiddle.  I also think he has some of the best volleys in the game.

Djokovic is playing better than anybody this week.  I think he’ll handle a tired Nadal in two tight sets and I’m going with the veteran Steps over the French hope Monfils in a three-set thriller.  I like Djoker winning the tournament, as he seems to be playing as good as I’ve seen him indoors.

On a final note:  I recently finished the final copy of AA’s Open.  I urge you all to read this book, it’s incredibly well written, and aptly titled.  I really enjoyed my trip down memory lane.  You’ll have a hard time putting it down.

I actually think it’s a good thing for Safina to have not finished the year No. 1.  She had so many nay sayers and this will possibly give her some incentive to earn it and win a major in 2010.

Winning a major should be her one and only goal for the coming year.  Serena Williams puts on possibly her best performance of the year, by posting a 5-0 record in Doha, beating her sister twice and finishing the year on a high note, in winning her first season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships title since 2001. 

Did I mention she broke the single season women’s prize money record with a whopping $6.3 million? That should put some presents in the stockings this season.  At 28 and 29 years old respectively, Serena and Venus show no signs of slowing down when so many of their peers have fallen by the way side.  Their careful schedule  and increasing their doubles play seems to help them maintain more motivation. And I see no reason why they can’t carry on this way for another three or four years.

 Props to the WTA Tour for finishing up the season one month earlier than the men’s side.  I still feel like November 1st is a tad late to finish the season, but the fact that the men have to slog it out another month makes for a very long season of wear and tear for these athletes. 

 I think potentially in 2010 with a healthy return of Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, the William sisters, Maria Sharapova and the emergence of the young Caroline Wozniaki, it could be the most exciting year in women’s tennis history. 

All eyes will be on the women in Melbourne…especially Justine Henin.  I doubt she’ll let it on, but I think finishing No. 1 is a big deal to Serena.  I feel she’ll be highly motivated in 2010 to prove that she’s still the one to beat and not the Belgians. 

On the final stretch of the men’s season, I’m seeing a four horse race in the last two tournaments to get into the ATP World Tour Finals on November 22nd.  Check out the fight between Gonzo, Tsonga, Verdasco and Soderling to be last man into London. 

Nice to Fed back on the courts, looking well rested and ready to go.  I hear there’s a full time physio on the sidelines — keeping him fighting fit.  Great move by Federer, too many athletes ignore this part of the equation.

Nikolay Davydenko, the 5-foot-10′, 154 pound middleweight mows down the field, dropping one set for the tournament, in a three-and-a-half hour + epic semi with the Djoker and then comfortably dispatched Rafa in the final, denying him of his first title since May — and its the second time he has beaten Rafa in a Masters Series final (Miami ‘08).

I hate to admit it, but the first time I saw Davy play in ‘01 I didn’t think that at his size and playing style he would ever be a top 20 player, and obviously he has proved me wrong and then some. He has put together quite an amazing career and almost all of it under the radar.

Now at 28, he is playing as offensive-minded as I have ever seen him and he is one of the biggest hitters off of both sides on tour, which is even more extraordinary considering he is so slightly built. With this win it puts him almost in a locked position to make the year-end championship, which will be the fifth year in a row he qualifies for the season-ending event. The only other active players to accomplish this are Fed, Nadal and Roddick.

The most disappointing thing out of Shanghai was the nine retirements, one of the largest totals I have seen in an ATP event. And I think this goes back to the argument that the season is too long, as you see many of the players breaking down around this time of year. We have been talking about shortening the season for the last 25 years; I would really like to see the season cut back by at least a month, and it’s up to the players to make something happen.

And my game ball for the week goes to Sam Stosur, who finally got her first career title in Tokyo and that must have felt extremely satisfying to top off what has already been a break out year for her.

On another note I was down at Bollettieri’s last week, and there is no place I have ever seen that is a better spot to train young tennis players, and it has expanded to five other sports as well. The energy and passion that Nick brings everyday is truly commendable — he is one of the finalists for the Hall of Fame and he absolutely deserves that honor.

 Tsonga rolled countryman Gael Monfils in a surprisingly easy semifinal victory in Tokyo.  He’ll now play Mikhail Youzhny in the final.  This is a huge opportunity for Tsonga to earn some much-needed points in his race to the year- end ATP World Tour Final in London.  I feel like Tsonga should roll in this match tomorrow. He seems to thrive at the end of year as he did last year, winning the Paris Indoors. 

Cilic, the 21-year-old Croatian coming off of his great US Open quarterfinal performance, absolutely takes Rafael Nadal to the woodshed with a 6-1, 6-3 victory.  This is the second big result for him in the last month against a top 3 player: he beat third-ranked Andy Murray at the Open and now hammers Nadal. These two wins for Cilic have got me re-thinking that the big Croatian is actually on his way to big things in 2010. Cilic now plays a very in-form Novak Djokovic, aka, the Joker, in the Beijing final.  He’s got his swagger back and is playing as good right now as he has all year.  Djokovic won six of the last seven games in a 6-3, 6-3 win over Robin Soderling today. 

I like Djokovic in straight sets to win the title. He’s locked and loaded, aiming to close out the year in the top 3.

Nice to see Nadal playing, in supposedly good health, but this is a troubling score. We’re barely used to seeing Rafa lose, much less take two back-to-back poundings from younger players.  He’s going to be eager to get back on the court this coming week when he will be the top seed in Shanghai. 

Shanghai is next week for the men.  A new tournament boasting the most money of any ATP event, has 13 of the top 15, only missing a fatigued and new father Roger Federer, deciding to spend more time with the twins.  Good for you buddy.  You earned the break.

Also, the injured Murray will skip Shanghai, to rest the wrist, probably a smart move not to rush back.

There are seven players locked in a battle for two remaining spots for the London Masters: Joe Willie Tsonga, Fernando Verdasco, Soderling, Nikolay Davydenko, Cilic, Monfils, and Gonzo.

That’s what makes this week and all the remaining matches from here on out so big.

We’re in the salary stretch.  Should be some good viewing to see who makes the cut.

I think this is a big week for both Del Po who lost first round in Tokyo last week, and Andy Roddick, who suffered a first-round loss in Beijing to 143rd-ranked Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot.  I think both these players have the ability to brush off the losses and step up this week. 

My money is still on Djokovic as the player to beat…but I’m keeping a close eye on Joe Willie Tsonga to make a big run this week.

The fairy tale win for Kim Clijsters at the US Open is in the books.

I knew she was going to come good, but I never thought that much good would come that quick. Very admirable that she’s putting family first, with only one tournament on her itinerary for the fall schedule.  I hope Kim keeps up her momentum and ends the year on a solid note.

Now the rumors are true, Justine Henin is on the comeback trail.

Judging by how quickly Clijsters reclaimed her throne, it seems like a perfect time for the 27-year-old Henin to get back in the mix and restore order in the women’s game.  I’m glad she’s doing it now, as opposed to waiting another three or four years — if ever — and spending retirement with regret.

I am inclined to compare Henin’s sudden retirement to that of Bjorn Borg’s.  If you remember, Borg chose to wait 10 years for his attempt at a comeback which proved too little too late.  I like Justine’s odds.  It‘s a good window of opportunity for her. The top ladies really aren’t playing at their best and maybe this time away from the game has given her a time to recharge and re-motivate.  I’m surprised she’s waiting until the new year to launch her comeback, but for fans, the wait will be worth it.

I’m seeing a major on Justine’s docket for 2010.

Like I predicted for Clijsters that she would be back in the top 5 in no time, I feel the same for Henin.  2010 should be a big year for the Belgians.

It was a crazy week in Tokyo last week as the top six seeds crashed out in the first round.

Dinara Safina continues to play poorly and will now lose the top ranking to Serena Williams —  justice does exist.

It was a massive week in Japan for Maria Sharapova as she steps up and wins her first tournament of 2009.  She seems to be regaining her form from pre-shoulder surgery and the double faults seem to be on the mend as well.  She’s off to a great start in China with an upset over Victoria Azarenka.

If Shaza can finish the year strong, I think she has a good chance to get back in the top eight.  Considering she missed the first 5 1/2 months of the season, making the WTA Tour’s season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships would be an amazing achievement.  We need our stars to shine.

Nice to see the loaded field again in China lead by Serena Williams, hopefully regaining the number one ranking will inspire Serena and let everyone forget and forgive.

I know the ITF is still looking into the Serena situation from the US Open.  I think a suspension would be a travesty.  Let’s put the event behind us and move forward.  It only hurts the tournaments and the fans.

In my book, 2010 could be one of the most interesting years in women’s tennis ever. All eyes will be on the Aussie Open.  You’ve got three months to get your tickets.

Maybe the USTA might want to think about the possibilities of joining the other slams in getting a retractable roof. 

Nadal was extremely fortunate to get his match in before the rain came today. They resumed play at 7-6, 6-6(2) and Rafa didn’t drop a game, winning the tiebreaker and dropping a bagel on Gonzo in the third.  Maybe the day and a half off did some good for Rafa’s ailing abdomen. 

We are now down to the final four, and the men will play on Sunday.  Very unusual that Fed and the Djoker haven’t played since Wednesday. That’s four days off which is very unusual for a Slam.

I just get the feeling that Fed will be able to handle the time delay better than the Djoker, so I’m going Fed in 4.  And Nadal-Del Po is a very interesting semi. I think a lot depends on Rafa’s injury. But Del Po has beaten Rafa both times this year on hard court, and the win in Canada was convincing. Everything says that Del Po is the favorite to win this match, but I always find it tough to go against Rafa, plus I may be a little biased because I’d love to see anther Fed- Nadal final, so I’m gonna go with Rafa in 4! 

If the rain ever stops today we first have the battle of the two 19-year-olds Waza and Wickmayer. Talk about a Cinderella story! Wickmayer had never been past the second round of a major. The 6-foot Belgian has a huge game, but she will be severely tested against the solid Waza.

I’ll go with the much more experienced 19-year-old Wozniacki in straight sets. 

And the Serena vs. Clijsters match, we kind of saw this coming when the draw came out, but similarly to the Djoker and Fed Kim hasn’t played since Tuesday. But Serena has been able to play two doubles matches in that time period, so she should be a lot more prepared.

It’s not Kimpossible for an upset, but I think Serena, who is by far the best big-match player in the women’s game, will win in 3 sets.  The good news is that the weather is supposed to be much better for Sunday and Monday, it would be really weird if couldn’t finish until Tuesday.

He really took it to Murray, who looked extremely flat and was only able to muster nine games. Has to be one of the more disappointing losses for Andy in his career, especially coming off such a strong summer hard court season with such big expectations on his shoulders. 

Del Po looked very sharp in his drubbing of Juan Carlos Ferrero and I think he will be able to take advantage of Murray’s misstep and reach the semis. 

Gonzo also came up with a big win over Jo WIlly, and for the last three sets I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone hit more massive forehands. 

Rafa also looks to be getting very close to pre-injury form. He was very fast, fit and physical against an out-of-gas Gael Monfils in the last couple sets. I think that Rafa benefits a lot from playing Gonzo (he has beaten him 5 times in a row)it would have been a much trickier assignment against Tsonga. 

 Fed has just been rolling through the draw and shouldn’t had too much difficulty in dispatching Soderling, a guy he is 11-0 against and has beaten in the last two Slams. 

 I also think that the Djoker, who really has been playing well all tournament, should get past Verdasco. So I think we are looking at a Fed-Djoker and Rafa-Del Po semifinals.  And can you imagine if Fed and Nadal do both reach the final they will have met on the last Sunday of all four slams —  a feat by two players that we may never see again. 

On the women’s side the anticipation is building up for the Oudin and Wozniacki quarters. Oudin has shown so much heart throughout the event. Incredibly all fourplayers that she has beaten have been Russian power players. But Wozniacki plays a counter-punching style that is more similar to Oudin’s, and I give Waza the edge in that matchup.

Serena is really looking good and astonishingly about a month ago she said she was focusing on peaking for the second week of the Open. I thought it was funny at the time but it turns out she knew exactly what she was talking about.  And lastly the dream run of Kim Clijsters goes on and I think she is the only woman left in the draw with a legitimate chance to beat Serena.  Can’t wait to see what happens in the upcoming matches, I think we’re in for some unbelievable tennis.

The 17 year old from Marietta, Georgia — she’s scrappy and feisty and kind of reminds me of a cross between Amanda Coetzer and Justine Henin. Melanie set the Open ablaze for her second straight upset, first against Elena Dementieva and today against Shaza 7-5 in the third.

I didn’t think that Oudin could tough out Shaza in todays match, especially after losing the first set, but for someone that is 17 it is incredible that she is 16-4 in 3 set matches this year.  And she now plays Nadia Petrova in the round of 16 and the way Melanie is playing right now all matches are winnable. And again, Shaza was done in by 21 double faults, it’s incredible that she is able to hang in there considering she gave away 5+ games of double faults alone.

There have been so many upsets in the ladies it has gotten contagious, I almost feel like at this point the underdogs should be the favorites on the ladies side.

Huge match today between Venus and Clijsters — we will really have a good idea of where Kim is at after this match — but I have a feeling that Kim is going to continue the upset trend and take out Venus in a tight 3 setter.

And I think Serena will send a message to the field today against Hantuchova. She is without question still the player to beat. But talk about someone flying under the radar, Kuzzi should take advantage of her section of the draw. She is a former champion here and she won the French this year — and is look ing in very good form.

The men’s side had been dominated by the top players until tonight, for the first time all of the top 16 reached the round of 32. How about 3 incredible American stories in the last 2 days?

 First Taylor Dent winning that epic 5 setter against Navarro. It’s a fantastic story of a guy who was out for 2 years because of injury and after the match he did something that I have never seen before — he grabbed the umpires microphone and thanked all the fans in attendance. It was a really nice touch and a great moment for the sport. Taylor should have his work cut out for him though as he has the rough assignment of Andy Murray in the next round.

Earlier,  the 26-year-old Jesse Witten, ranked 270, pushed Djokovic to the limit. A performance like that gives a lot of hope for all the journeyman out there. If Witten can keep up this high level of play week in and week out he will certainly not be on the future and challenger circuit for much longer.

And last but definitely not least, what a big time win for John Isner!  In the first big upset on the mens side, he showed tremendous guts and determination in his 7-6 in the 5th win against Roddick and I think this win just propelled his career to the next level. And for Andy, just another extremely tough loss to swallow. Hopefully he will be able to rebound from these string of heartbreakers and keep moving in the right direction. 

We also got one more big upset in the night sess ion as world number 72 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic took out Dinara Safina in an extremely tight match. Call it the Oudin Effect — these upsets are contagious!

Most of the top players only played Montreal and Cincy, which gives them very fresh legs and that plays a huge role in making a deep run.  I was impressed with Rafa today — he looked a lot more offensive minded. He served bigger and played more aggressive, which should help to put a little less stress on his body.  He had no problem dispatching Dicky Gasquet, who hadn’t played in over four months and it really showed.  

Roger Federer is the only top player who has advanced to the third round, and he looks to be on cruise control. He now plays Rusty Hewitt, whom he absolutely owns. I’m sure Rusty wasn’t too pleased when he saw that third round draw. I also give Fed an A+ for his black gear with a touch of red — it looked extremely sharp.

I had a feeling that the quick courts would help the American men, and it definitely has with 10 advancing to the second round. And props to long shot 26-year-old Jesse Witten, who at No. 270 qualified and then dropped a beat down on Igor Andreev in the first round. He also has a very winnable second round against Maximo Gonzalez — these are the types of stories that make the Slams a lot more fun.

On the women’s side we have already had some big scares, Safina and Venus both struggled mightily to get through. This shows that there is a lot more depth in the women’s game now, definitely not as many easy matches to be had in the first week like in the past. 

Ivanovic also went down early for the second straight year here, and since obtaining that number one ranking she has really been heading in the wrong direction.

Kim Clijsters had an impressive win against Marion Bartoli, and she looks to be on a collision course with Venus in the round of 16.  Serena Williams has had a 20-9 record in WTA tour events with no titles, but when it comes to the Slams its a whole other story. She is 18-1 in a Grand Slam play with wins at the Aussie Open and Wimbledon. She is somehow able to find an extra gear when it comes Slam time and she looks to be continuing that pattern hear at the Open.

Fed and Serena are still the players to beat and my two runner-up favorites are Del Po and Clijsters, who I both expect to be in the mix for the title.

Got to hit on the Grandstand late this afternoon, and they are playing pretty quick. There is less grit on the surface of the court then I remember in years past, and the lively Wilson balls don’t fluff up, adding to the court speed.  It should be ideal serving conditions, which could definitely benefit Americans like Roddick, Querrey, Isner and the Williams sisters.

I don’t think that Roddick could have asked for a better court — his serve will be really tough to break. And I saw Fed practicing today and he is looking extremely sharp, and he is hitting the ball incredibly crisp. Looking forward to the USTA honoring Andre tomorrow night, should be a great show with Venus and Roddick on the ticket after.

Definitely after watching Fed practice totally reconfirms that he is the man to beat, and remember no man in the Open Era has ever won a tournament 6 times in a row. That is something Rog very realistically could accomplish by the end of the fortnight.

With two tournaments under her belt I think that Kim Clijsters is poised to have a deep run, so keep a close eye on her.

The threeladies that are under the most pressure have to be Safina, Dementieva and Double J, with all three having the luxury of being on the other side of the draw as the Williams sisters.

I also think that Querrey is a dark horse to go far after four finals this summer and he has a favorable draw.