Can the Belgians re-claim No. 1?
Women’s tennis is as deep and as talented as ever but the return of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin should create one of the most competitive years in the history of the WTA. The Belgian duo is returning at time when no less than six other former No. 1 ranked players are still in their prime: V. Williams, S. Williams, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic. Despite the stiff competition, the 26-year-old Clijsters showed no rust following her 26-month retirement by winning last September’s U.S. Open. As for Henin, she walked away in May 2008 while ranked No. 1, and in her comeback tournament last week at the Brisbane International, she made it all the way to final where before losing to Clijsters in three sets. Australian Open organizers have decided against seeding the 27-year-old Henin for the upcoming tournament, but that hasn’t deterred British bookmakers from installing her the third favourite at 5-1 next week, right behind Clijsters Australian Open odds P
