Guest Author - Sandra Eggers

Women’s tennis is all about the power game and blasting winners off both sides, hitting the serve as hard as you can, and winning points.

Big babe tennis isn’t new to the women’s game. We first saw it with Martina Navratilova in the 1970’s, with her muscular physique, though back then it seemed out of place. Several decades later, Venus and Serena Williams are all that and more.

Seeded No. 1 and No. 2 at the 2002 U.S. Open, the Williams sisters seem unstoppable. Their closest competition may be from Americans Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport, but both those players will have to play exceptionally well to beat both sisters in the same tournament.

Remember Anna Kournikova? New York tennis fans would like to forget. Kournikova lost her opening round singles match in just over 40 minutes to a little-known teenager from Indonesia. She exited the court to boos and jeers from upset N.Y. fans expecting to see a more competitive match. Granted some did come to see her cute little outfit, but after spending good money for tickets and never seeing Kournikova win, they are losing their patience.

One of the greatest stories to come out of pro tennis is that of cancer survivor Corrina Morariu. She lost her first round match against No. 1 Serena Williams, but she is still a winner. Just one year ago, Morariu was battling for her life, and now she’s competing on the tennis court. She is truly an inspiration.

While the women of tennis always give us something to talk about, the 2002 U.S. Open belongs to Pete Sampras. The 15th seed won his 14th Grand Slam singles title with a win over fellow American Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. After a title drought of nearly two years, Sampras savored the victory and retired from the sport at the top of his game.

If you play tennis, or want to learn, take a few tips from the pros. Watch some of the great TV coverage of the U.S. Open and learn. See how players use strategy to move the opponent out of position, and watch the style of a classic backhand. It’s a great way to spot things you can add to your own game if you’re looking to improve.

Have fun on the courts!