Serena and women's tennis

Remember the last time we saw Serena Williams in a Grand Slam event? She was being "ousted" in the semis after saying a couple, um...shall we say, not too kind remarks directed at a line judge who had called Williams for a foot fault. It was Serena's second code violation which was a point penalty.

The problem. She was facing a break point for the match at the time the violation was called. Point. Game. Match. It was over.

Who was Serena's opponent in that match? It was then unranked Kim Clijsters from Belgium who had received a wild card entry into the tournament. Clijsters would go on to win the U.S. Open by defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Clijsters was in only her third event since coming out of retirement.

Side note here. Clijsteres retired to become a mother. And she was once the top-ranked player in the world. Store that last part in your memory bank.

So there she was. Serena had a shot at redemption...of sorts. You see, if Serena could manage to capture her fifth Australian Open title, maybe that would make people forget about that match in Flushing Meadows. She would have won 4 of the last 6 Grand Slam events. Now, that's impressive. That's almost Roger Federer-like. That's a feat that would easily overshadow any lingering thoughts of her tantrum at the last Slam. And one last thing, since 1968 when the Open era began, Serena would hold the record for most titles in Australia.

This final would have some eerie similarities to that semifinal at the U.S. Open. The first similarity was her opponent. Another Belgian coming out of retirement that was once the #1 ranked women's player in the world, Justine Henin (right). The Aussie Open was Henin's second tourney since coming back from retirement. Henin also received a wild card entry.

Getting a bit strange. Retirement. Belgium. Wild card entry.

This time, history would not repeat. Serena was on exceedingly good behavior and won the Australian Open with a hard fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win. The title was pulled Serena into a tie with Billie Jean King with 12 majors.

Serena is starting to collect some titles here. If any one player has stepped up on the women's side, it's Serena. While she doesn't play a lot of events, she does show up in majors. And that's where it's at for both Serena and here sister, Venus. Win the Slams.

And wouldn't you know that Venus and Serena won the women's doubles title, too. A collection is mounting for those as well.

Think about this for a moment. The last two Grand Slam finals have had one of its participants recently come out of retirement. Exactly what is the state of women's tennis then?

Serena has clearly become the dominant player in women's tennis, but who would be there if she wasn't? Who would be carrying that weight?

Dinara Safina? She's #2 but has failed on three occassions to win a Slam when reaching the finals ('08 and '09 French and '09 Australian). Has the unfortunate label of not showing up mentally in big matches.

Svetlana Kuznetsova? She's #3 and has won a couple of Grand Slams ('04 U.S., '09 French), but has been plagued with inconsistent play and a knack for losing that mental edge. She's one of the most athletic players. We'll see what Sveta is made of as she preps for defending her title at Roland Garros.

If you look at the rest of the WTA's top 10, the only other player with any Grand Slam wins is...Venus Williams and she's ranked 6th. But watch out for the Belgians. Henin will be highly ranked after this week and Clijsters is currently #15. They both have won Slams and know they can beat Serena.

Yes, Serena is dominating women's tennis...again.