Women's

I think Loren, my boss, is trying to get me fired. Why else would he have come up with a topic that has me sitting around the office Googling Ana Ivanovic? It's research, I swear!

Surely his searches are turning up nothing interesting at all. Which, I suppose, is my point.

I must concede that men's tennis features the most dominant athlete on the planet, Roger Federer ---- a player who only loses when playing on clay against Rafael Nadal. The methodical, emotionless Federer comes across as an unblinking automaton; a tennis terminator.

Federer is the San Antonio Spurs of individual sports, proving it's possible to simultaneously induce awe and a yawn.

The women's game provides parity, NFL style. It's a mixed bag of contenders in which the winner of any given tournament could be Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Amelie Mauresmo, any of about 73 Russians or even a Williams sister.

Ah yes, the Williams sisters. Even if they don't shine as brightly as they once did, the women's game actually has two bona fide American stars.

Sad as it may be, it's a reality that for a mass American audience to pay attention, it needs a rooting interest. If the average American saw Roger Federer on one side of the street and Kevin Federline on the other, there's no doubt who the camera phone would be trained on.

On the men's tour, Andy Roddick ---- known by most as that tennis dude Mandy Moore was dating ---- is the highest-ranked (No. 5) and most recognizable American out there. But Roddick hasn't won a grand slam event in four years, and these days, when he's not losing to Federer (1-13 lifetime), he's probably busy caddying the Swiss star's bags out to his Mercedes.

The ATP's second-best Yank, James Blake, probably spends most of his time explaining to people that he's not that infamous "Baretta" star.

While its true there are no Americans in the women's top 10, the Williams sisters are a threat to claim any tournament at any time when healthy, especially now that Venus is back on her game and fresh off a win at Wimbledon.

Venus and Serena are not only household names, they have combined for 14 Grand Slam titles. Plus, like many others on the women's tour, they have personality.

And don't use the tired line of style over substance. Models posing as tennis players like Anna Kournikova get chewed up and spit out by the WTA. While Sharapova, Serena Williams and Ivanovic may pose for a photo spread or two, they've also proven they have ample game.

Convinced? Good. Back to Google.

Contact staff writer Michael Klitzing at mrklitzing@gmail.com.