Tennis Talking Points

Caroline Wozniacki

Our weekly Friday look at newsmakers in the tennis world. The precocious 18-year-old ensured she'll become the first Danish woman in history to crack the top 10 after her early-round victory against Alisa Kleybanova at the Madrid Open. Earlier in the week, Wozniacki helped promote the revamped event by playing with Elena Dementieva on the train tracks at Chamartin, one of the Spanish capital's busiest Metro stations.

Andy Murray

Murray celebrated his 22nd birthday Friday with a high-profile match against Juan Martin del Potro in the Madrid quarterfinals. He's already won three titles in 2009 -- in Doha, Rotterdam and Miami -- while becoming the first British player to make No. 3 in the ATP rankings. The Scot could even shoot past Roger Federer to No. 2 in next week's rankings if he wins the Madrid title and Federer loses before the final.

Serena Williams

The second-ranked Williams has dropped four straight matches for the first time in her career, retiring this week from a first-round match against Francesca Schiavone with a nagging knee injury. The unprecedented skid comes two weeks after her swipe at top-ranked Dinara Safina on the eve of the Italian Open. "We all know who the real No. 1 is," Williams said. "Quite frankly, I'm the best in the world."

Dinara Safina

The real No. 1 -- with apologies to Serena -- continues to handle the pressure of the top ranking admirably. After making last week's Italian Open her first title of the year, Safina was through to the Madrid semifinals.

Andy Roddick

Playing for the first time on clay this year, Roddick saved two match points during a second-set tiebreak and rallied to beat Tommy Haas in his Madrid opener. But the sixth-ranked Roddick couldn't shake his Federer hoodoo in the quarterfinals, falling 6-1 in the third set. The loss dropped Roddick's all-time record against Federer to 2-18.

Maria Sharapova

The 22-year-old Russian announced she'll play her first competitive singles match in nearly 10 months at next week's French Open tune-up in Warsaw. Sharapova, who sustained a torn rotator cuff in her right shoulder in August, could become the 10th woman to achieve a career Grand Slam with a victory at Roland Garros.

Rafael Nadal

The undisputed King of Clay was on the verge of making history as the Madrid event moved into the later rounds. With a title in his home country, he'd become the first player in history to win three consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events.

La Caja Majica

The ambitious vision of French architect Dominique Perrault, the site of the Madrid Open -- and a centerpiece of the city's bid for the 2016 Olympics -- features three show courts with independent retractable roofs in addition to 27 outdoor courts.

"A Centre Court Celebration"

Alastair Grant/AP; inset: Eddie Keogh/AP

The Magic Box wasn't the only high-tech stadium in the news recently. ESPN Classic announced plans to broadcast the May 17 exhibition matches under Wimbledon's new Centre Court roof. Among those scheduled to participate are Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters and native son Tim Henman.

Bj&#246;rn Borg

The five-time Sports Illustrated cover boy is bringing his underwear across the pond to New York City. The 52-year-old Swede, whose other business ventures include the online matchmaking ring "Love For All," is opening his first American retail boutique later this month. Said marketing director Jimmy Johansson: "This bold investment will bring us one step closer to becoming a key player in the American underwear fashion scene."

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