It’s been a while since I had one of these but with it being a brand New spankin’ Year and all, I figured what better time than now to start.

Especially when it’s such a nice shot of Slovakian tennis star Daniela Hantuchova. She’s a looker alright on and off the tennis court. And I don’t care what kind of language you speak. In any language- Russian, Slovak, English…she’s quite stunning.

She also has a little game to go with her package if you catch my drift.

Last year was a solid season for the 24 year-old ninth ranked WTA player. She took home her third title at Indian Wells and reached the Round of 16 in a couple of slams. Her record of 52-28 helped boost her ranking back into the top 10- the highest its been since 2002 when she finished ranked No.8.

So, can she take her game to another level and maybe crack a slam quarterfinal- something she hasn’t accomplished since the 2003 Australian Open?

It will most likely depend on who’s in her draw. She’s had the unfortunate luck lately of running into Serena Williams. As any tennis fan knows, a motivated Serena can beat anyone on the WTA tour.

She seems to raise her game when she’s down under where she won last year for the third time. However, even years haven’t treated her well in Melbourne. So we’ll find out soon enough.

In the mean time, let’s enjoy another Hantuchova shot from her hard fought three-set win over Russian Dinara Safina. A solid player in her own right.

Safina does have a solid all around game which includes a deadly forehand which can find angles from anywhere on the court. The key is whether she can maintain consistency and mentally keep it together. She’s been known for melting down in big matches. But this is also a young woman who only a couple of years ago posted one of her biggest wins in Australia over Serena.

So she’s fully capable of playing some good tennis. We’ll certainly be following her plight when the Australian Open begins the following week.