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The stage is set or should we say the court is ready for the Asian Pacific Grand Slam. The first one of the 4 mega competitions that really matters to the game of tennis is set to begin on the 19th of January 2009.

And what an event it shall be – with no clear choices for the winners the speculations are high and most people betting for Andy Murray this time in the men’s singles category – the ladies side too does not have any clear favourites. Sharapova has pulled out and Lindsay Davenport too has opted out because of her second pregnancy – that basically leaves us with the Williams sisters and the Serbians – Ivanovic and Jancovic.

The Williams sisters might have more than one trophy in their bags when they bid adieu to Melbourne Park after the Australian Open – they are a safe bet for the doubles as well.

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Tennis is one of the biggest, most competitive and glamorous sports in the world, and 2008 looks set to be a vintage year for the sport, with an exceptional standard of tennis across the major tournaments already this summer. Whether it's been a match from the well established stars on the tour to the new up and coming talents, this season has given all tennis fans something to smile about.

Who can forget THAT Wimbledon men's singles final? In years to come, we may look back at the history books and determine that it was on Sunday 6th July that signaled the changing of the guard for the title of world's greatest tennis player, as Rafael Nadal finally became the first man to beat Roger Federer on grass, and end his 59-match unbeaten run. It was truly a Wimbledon epic and worthy of any Grand-Slam tournament final, and will live long in the memory for many years to come.

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[Best Syndication News] The French Open has be advancing along as the quarter-finals are getting ready to begin this week. Serena and Venus Williams have not made it to the quarter-finals.

Ana Ivanovic advancing to the quarter-finals. She was last year’s runner up and has a good chancing of winning for the women.

Jelena Jankovic suffered from a shoulder problem. This has caused her problems during her matches, but she managed to get herself a place in the quarter-finals. Jankovic had a wrist injury that needed treatment during the medical treatment for a wrist injury during her second-round win with Marina Erakovic.

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[Best Syndication News] The French Open got off to a wet raining start, with some games being postponed.

The favorite picks for this year is Roger Federer for the men’s likely winner because he was winner of the Estoril and was also a runner-up in the Monte Carlo Nadal competitions. He has only won one tournament out of 8 for this year.

The pick for the women is tougher to pick because the favorite, Justine Henin is not participating. She quit just short of participating in The French Open. Only 25 years old, Henin is retiring from the sport. Henin has won the French Open four times. She said that the sport has consumed her life ever since she was a child.

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There are so many rules in tennis that it can be tough to accurately determine who is at fault when certain situations come up. The more that you know about the sport, the better the chance you have at being able to avoid any controversy should one of the less-common situations in tennis come up.

Q: When can I call a foot foul on my opponent?
A: In a match that is not being judged by a referee, it can be difficult to determine whether or not you should call out a foot foul. Since tennis rules stipulate that the opponent should be given the benefit of the doubt in any controversial calls, foot fouls should only be called when every effort of informing the opponent about the practice has failed and the foot fouling continues to a flagrant degree.