Brace yourself for Australian Open - the First Grand Slam of 2014

The defending champions: Novak Djokovic - Victoria Azarenka

Top tennis players and tennis fans from all around the world are arriving in Melbourne Australia to play and watch the first Grand Slam of the year 2014 - The Australian Open.

Held each year in January, the Australian Open sets the pace for the tennis activities for the rest of the year. This year, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are being dubbed as the hot  favourite.

The aspiring title candidates: Serena Williams - Rafael Nadal

Serena Williams have had a meaningful tennis year last year and is being considered by many as the 'hot' favourites not only for the Australian Open but the entire year 2014. Last year, the world number one won the French Open and the US Open. Despite her age  Williams at 32 does not seem to be lacking stamina and will to lose her way forward. She now seeks historic 18th Grand Slam win at Australian Open — an accomplishment that would match Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

As for her form and fitness, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes that Serena Williams can become the first woman since 1988 to win all four Grand Slam titles in the same year.

It may be added that Williams, 32, held all four Grand Slams simultaneously when she won the Australian Open of 2003, but Steffi Graf in 1988 was the last female player to lift all four titles in the same calendar year.

However, there are some who question Serena's firness and ask Will Serena Williams' reign end? - well time will tell as Australian Open reaches its final.

Summing up ladies title, top 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka - the defending champion, who is aiming for a hat-trick of Australian Open titles .

As for the men's singles, although Djokovic will try his best to defend his title he won last year, he has Rafael Nadal all set to threaten him and is hot contenderer for the title this year. Although Novak Djokovic hopes Becker can help him retain title - Rafael Nadal, who has recovered from her knee injury is robust and reslienet as ever to take on the Serb.

It’s hard to bet against Djokovic though as four of his six Grand Slam titles have come in Melbourne. The three-time defending champion has the Australian Open down to a science; he opted to limit his preparations to exhibition events once again this year, which guarantee him a few good matches, before spending the last two weeks fine-tuning his game and arriving early in Melbourne.

As per the draws, Nadal and Djokovic are in different groups and are not likely to face each other till the final. With questions surrounding 2013 finalist Andy Murray’s fitness and four-time champion Roger Federer’s form, Nadal seems to be the player threatening the Serb his last year's title.

So we keep our fingers crossed and start watching the mega tennis year opener from 13th January which will terminate on 26 January.

Nadal opens the Grand Slam facing Australian Bernard Tomic in the first round.  

Movin' Sports will bring Free Live Coverage of all important matches as and when these are played.

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Wimbledon: The Next Grand Slam of the Year

The defending champions: Roger Federer and Serena Williams

Of the four Grand Slams played each year, two are already over; the Australian Open and the recently concluded French Open or the Roland Garros.

Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam, begins 23 June later this month that will continue till 7 July 2013. The tournament is played on the lush green grass courts of Wimbledon and is taken as most prestigious of all the Grand Slams and other tennis tournaments.

In play since 1877, the tournaments has five main events, and the number of players (or teams, in the case of doubles) are:
Gentlemen's Singles (128)
Ladies' Singles (128)
Gentlemen's Doubles (64)
Ladies' Doubles (64)
Mixed Doubles (64)

For 2013, the list of 128 players for the men's singles event is already out and the top 10 ranking players participating in Wimbledon this year are:

Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Andy Murray (GBR)
Roger Federer (SUI)
David Ferrer (ESP)
Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
Jo Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Richard Gasquet (FRA)
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)

This year, Roger Federer of Switzerland will be defending his title, which he won against Andy Murray of Britain last year 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4. If Roger Federer wins the tile this year too, he will outscore Pete Sampras seven title wins and that of William Renshaw of seven titles before the 1968 era.

In the women single's event, Serena Williams of USA will defend her title which she won against Polish Agnieszka Radwańska 6–1, 5–7, 6–2 and robbed a chance for Radwanska to win a Grand Slam for her country since it was last won  in 1939. Serena won her fifth Wimbledon title last year and has a long way to equal Helen Wills eight titles before 1968 era and nine by Martina Navratilova thereafter. Serena has been in finals for seven times.

Britain which once dominated the Wimbledon, has not won since Fred Perry's last win in 136. In fact Fred won consecutive three times from 1934-36. It was Andy Murray who tried his luck in the final of 2012, the first British player in finals since Fred's last 1936, but lost to Federer 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4.

Although Andy Murray won the Olympics gold medal against Federer in London Olympics 2012, the British drought at Wimbledon continues since 1936.

Of the present top seeded players, Roger Federer has won the title seven times, including last year's, followed by twice by Nadal and once by Djokovic.

Let us watch the Wimbledon that commences in about ten days time and see whether Andy Murray gets to clinch the title from Federer to be the first British since 1937 or Federer claims it for the record eighth time, before he is too old for it.

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Andy Murray wins US Open 2012

Oh boy, what a final it was that just ended - the arduous five set long match that finally brought victory to Andy Murray of Great Britain over the Serbian Novak Djokovic.

Andy Murray lifts his maiden Grand Slam trophy [Photo: Screen Shot CBS Sports]

The match that just ended was superb display of playing skills and stamina of both Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. It took Murray four hours and 54 minutes to win his maiden Grand Slam. With the win tonight, he has joined the exclusive club of those with Grand Slam titles. He also becomes the first British to win a Grand Slam title since 1936.

Andy Murray won the first two sets with great difficulty and tough resistance from the Serbian 7(12)-6(10) and 7-5.

Thereafter Djokovic took two easy wins 6-2 and 6-3, bringing the match to an equalizer.

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But in the final and fifith set, Andy Murray finally prevailed upon the Australian Open 2012 champion and world no.2 6-2, to win the first Grand Slam of his life 7(12)-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.

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Here comes Wimbledon

June though hot all over the world has good tidings for the Londoners and the tennis fans from the rest of the world to witness the most important tennis Grand Slam - the Wimbledon.

Already the two Grand Slams, the Australian Open and the Roland Garros or the French Open, have been played - but the green grass of London brings a relaxation to the eyes from the coloured hard court of  Australia and the red clay of France.

This year, Novak Djokovic will try to defend his title. He was unlucky to lose the French Open to make history of holding all four titles simultaneously and failed to become the third player in the history to have done so. But clay court master Spaniard Rafa dashed all his hopes. So it will be seen whether Djokovic can start all over again or not.

The defending champions: Novak Djokovic [top] - Petra  Kvitová [below]

Swiss Roger Federer, though have not been able to win a Grand Slam this year, eyes the Wimbledon title this year to win the title for the seventh time. Federer says:

"A seventh would be amazing. That would be tying Pete (Sampras) which I think would be absolutely fantastic. I am dreaming of the title. There's no denying that."

It may be added here that William Renshaw of England (1881-1886, 1889) and Pete Sampras of USA (1992-95, 1997-2000) both have won the Wimbledon title record seven times.

The seven times Wimbledon title holders: William Renshaw [left] and Pete Sempras [right] 

As for the women singles, Czech republic's Petra Kvitová will be defending her title she won the coveted Venus Rosewater Dish while playing against Russian Maria Sharapova in straight sets. She became the first left-handed female player to win the singles title since Martina Navratilova in 1990, the first Czech player to win a Grand Slam singles title since Jana Novotna won Wimbledon in 1998, and the first Grand Slam tournament winner of either gender to be born in the 1990s.

Russian Maria Sharapova, after winning the Roland Garros title this year, is also eyeing the Venus Rosewater Dish, though with the winning of French Open 2012, she completed her career's first Grand Slam. But she would like to win all in succession to make history again - would she?

So we beging to see the Wimbledon unfolding with its first round of matches starting 25th June, Monday 25 June tomorrow and see whose dreams are realized this year.

Nadal seeks to halt the Grand Slam beatdowns

Rafael Nadal says he's not obsessed with beating Novak Djokovic despite some heavy soul searching after seven straight losses to the world No. 1, the last three in Grand Slam finals. 


"I don't have the spirit of revenge. I don't have the spirit of obsession of another player," Nadal said Thursday at the ATP Tour's Indian Wells Masters series tournament. 


"I want to improve to beat Novak and Roger (Federer). I try every day to improve my level of tennis. 

Read more: Times of India