Week #20 preview: Rome

Rome (ITA), Tier I, $1,340,000
Second Tier I on red clay which should clarify the form of the top players with a view on Roland Garros. Justine Henin will skip the event due to fatigue, but this time Maria Sharapova will join Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic and Serena Williams as the main favourites for the title. Venus Williams will also comeback to the Tour after her "indefinite break" which finally just lasted a few weeks. Berlin's champion Dinara Safina and one of the best players in 2008, Vera Zvonareva, should be also taken into account.