(From left) Stephen Healy, President of Tennis Australia & Craig Tiley, Australian Open Tournament Director

For the past few years, Europe has gradually established itself as a tennis superpower, displacing countries like Australia and the United States.

What has made them so successful? There are a myriad of reasons but it mainly comes down to what Australian Open director Craig Tiley calls the four Cs. They are:

1. Courts: The number of tennis courts in Europe have grown, which enhances participation from all age groups. Youngsters have developed a close relationship with the sport and are willing to give up their education to pursue their dream.
2. Coaches: Countries like Serbia, Spain and France have been able to access the services of world renowned coaches. Without them, talented players would have to receive the bulk of their instruction by travelling to other countries. This will drive potential players away from the game.
3. Competitions: Competitions give a chance for players to hone their skills, increase their intensity and receive valuable match practice. Since most ATP/WTA events are based in Europe, it isn’t hard to see why there are so many good players coming from Spain, Serbia and France.
4. Champions: Once the fundamentals are built through courts, coaches and competitions, there will be champions. Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka, winners of the 2012 Australian Open men’s and women’s singles respectively, are fine examples.

Chilean Fernando Gonzalez has announced that he will retire after the conclusion of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami. The former World No.5 had been hampered by hip and knee problems, and conceded upon his return in early 2011 that it was “the start of the end of my career.”

The Chileans standout result was undoubtedly at the Australian Open in 2007, where he was runner-up to Roger Federer. The 31 year-old also had success at the Olympics, winning medals at the 2004 and 2008 games. Tennis fans would definitely love to see the Santiago native remain in touch with tennis in the future, whether it be playing the ATP Champions Tour or exhibition matches. His rocketing forehands and sliced backhands are shots that will be greatly missed on the ATP World Tour.

Williams, who was previously in a relationship with rapper/actor Common, has stated in interviews that she is looking for a husband that will put family first. But is a man ten years her junior the answer?

Caroline Wozniacki has ended the past two years as the World No.1, a difficult feat and one she should be proud of. However, the current World No.4 wasn’t the top women’s player because she stood out from her rivals. It is because she managed win that extra match or tournament. That is how close knit women’s tennis is at the moment.

Unlike the ATP World Tour, where Novak Djokovic is dominating every tournament he enters, you would have to go back to the likes of Justine Henin (specifically in 2006-7) to find a player that was one level above their opponents. Since then, we have had the likes of Safina, Ivanovic, Jankovic, none of which have been able to assert that kind of authority.

There is no doubt that Wozniacki has done extremely well over the past few seasons. However, she hasn’t been able to capture a Grand Slam. If she were to win one, this is what she should draw from Djokovic: play less tournaments and focus on the big prizes. In 2011, Djokovic only played 15 tournaments. On the other hand, Wozniacki played 23 tournaments. Instead of wasting energy and playing tournaments with minimal competition, put your feet up and prepare for ones that count. In this case, it is the Grand Slams.

From an early age, Mardy Fish has been seen as America’s next big thing. There is no doubt that he has fulfilled that role, but he has failed to take that momentum and win on the big stage. What was the reason?

The World No.8 has always been affected by one thing on court: his negative mental attitude. The American becomes too sidetracked whether it be issues with the umpire, court or fellow opponent. Blowing your top on court won’t do any good for your game and will definitely not win over any supporters. If he had got his act together by concentrating on what was happening on his side of the court, he would of had better results in his earlier years.

Six ATP World Tour titles and quarter-final appearances at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open are not true indicators of his talent and abilities. Unfortunately, with age not on his side, there is little he can do to rectify the past. Prospective players should learn from his mistakes to ensure that they don’t replicate these errors in their career. It would be very disappointing to see another player walk away from the game knowing that they should have achieved a lot more.

Tomas Berdych has undoubtedly some of the biggest weapons on the men’s tour. His serve, ground strokes and footwork have helped him become a permanent top 10 fixture and a Grand Slam contender.

However, in recent years, the World No.7 has failed to earn the respect of his fellow competitors and crowd. Yesterday’s match against Almagro was a prime example. Getting hit by a tennis ball isn’t the nicest thing but unfortunately its part of the game. Failing to acknowledge an apology from his opponent and then accusing the Spaniard of hitting him afterward is very unsportsmanlike. The crowd knew what had happened and did what you would expect them to do: woo Berdych off the court.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Australian crowd decide to turn against him in his next match against Nadal. What Berdych doesn’t want is a crowd like this (video made by aznalnad).

You may recall six years ago, Berdych heckled the crowd after his victory against Nadal at the 2006 Madrid Masters. That not only produced a negative response from the crowd, but also drew criticism from his opponent Nadal. As you may notice, his next match against Gonzalez saw a large majority of the crowd support the Chilean and less so for the Czech. The Monte Carlo native got the treatment he deserved and next time needs to reconsider his thoughts before acting.

After her US Open success last year, you’d think that Sam Stosur would win a few matches at the Australian Open. Surprisingly, that hasn’t been the case, with the 27 year-old winning just one match from the three tournaments she’s played this year.

Pressure to perform is her biggest enemy at the moment. Unlike Andy Murray at Wimbledon, Stosur is unable to use the home crowd to her advantage. As the World No.5 said, she felt like a “bombshell” in Australia which has robbed her of the ability to finish matches and comeback from deficits. However, she is not on her own, with Lleyton Hewitt replicating the same result at the Australian Open in 2002 after triumphing in Flushing Meadows the year before.

If I was Stosur, I would hang up the racquets for the next few weeks to get her mind off tennis. This is a player who is mentally scarred and cannot cope with the weight of expectation. Before her next tournament, the Gold Coast native should rectify two important facets of her game. They are:

- The serve: Although the serve is a powerful weapon, her second serve is too predictable. Most of the time it lands on the backhand side (assuming it is a right-handed opponent). This would be a bigger problem against players like Benesova and Kvitova who are southpaws. Variation on the serve would do her a world of good.

- The backhand: The former World No.4 must add more depth to her backhand. Most of the backhands she hits are barely past the service line. This gives more opportunities for the opponent to attack and win the point.

1. Kim Clijsters

© AP Photo

- Long known as “Aussie Kim” for her relationship with Lleyton Hewitt

- Although their relationship has ended, Clijsters is still embraced by the Australian public

2. Alexandr Dolgopolov

© Reuters Pictures

- Affiliated with the country through Jack Reader, an Australian coach

- They have shared a successful partnership, with the Ukrainian improving from 310 to a career best 15 in a space of three years

3. Ana Ivanovic

© Reuters Pictures

- In recent years, known as “Aussie Ana” for her on off relationship with golfer Adam Scott

- Arrived in Australia late last year to cheer her boyfriend on during the Presidents Cup and other golf tournaments

(From left) Johanna Griggs, Bruce McAvaney & Sandy Roberts

For the viewers in Australia, Sandy Roberts is a familiar sight on Channel 7, commentating AFL, the Spring Racing Carnival and the summer of tennis in Australia. Along with Bruce McAvaney, he is one of the most experienced commentators on Australian television.

However, for the past few years I have wondered why Channel 7 allows him to commentate the tennis, since he is not a former player himself and does not understand the tactical side of the game. To make up for this deficiency, he inserts the typical cliches that turns him into a caller/announcer. “Bhupathi serving to stay in the first set of this men’s doubles final” is one of the few examples.

If  Channel 7 wants to play a role in the growth of Australian tennis, they must replace Sandy Roberts with someone like Wally Masur. Prospective players listening to Roberts’ commentary will not understand what it takes to be a great tennis player. Instead, all they will get of it is useless facts and statistics. As a person who has followed tennis for a long time, I find it insulting to have someone blurting information that is clearly exemplified on court.

The video made by joopvanthofff is for the viewers who are not familar with Roberts (He is first heard at 0:30). Sandy Roberts if you’re reading this, please don’t take offence but see it as a suggestion to commentate a sport that you actually have in depth knowledge about for e.g. AFL. Otherwise, stick to being a host.

2012 has started with a bang for Andy Murray. The Scot has appointed Ivan Lendl to be his new full-time coach following the likes of Brad Gilbert and Miles Maclagan.

This is an interesting partnership as Lendl is yet to have experience in the coaching business but can relate well to Murray’s career. Lendl knows how it feels to lose your first three Grand Slam finals as he has been through it before. More importantly, the eight-time Grand Slam champion knows to rebound from those losses and that is what Murray needs to learn from this new relationship.

With Djokovic unlikely to repeat his efforts from last season, Nadal struggling with injuries and Federer on the wrong side of 30, Murray knows that this is a year of opportunity. This early coaching arrangement from the Murray camp demonstrates that the 24 year-old is trying everything to make 2012 his year.