Some of you may have gleaned that I am a tennis fan. Not in a super fanatical sort of way, but in a I like to watch it when it’s on, though admittedly it’s nice to nap to… I do get more caught up the more I watch but as I am typically without cable access, I don’t get to watch a lot (though with my busy tv schedule that’s maybe not the worst thing). 

But as the tennis season starts with the Australian Open I almost missed it and was surprised to find that there is no network coverage. It was only being covered on ESPN2, not even ESPN mind you.

Now some series like Wimbledon and US Open get network coverage on the middle weekend, and Wimbledon has its own nightly highlights show, but I thought all of them showed the final. There are only four biggies: Australian, French, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Is that asking too much?

We even get network coverage of most of the finals in the entire hard court series leading up the US Open. Someone pointed out to me that it might be the time difference, which could be. Coverage at around 9pm/pst and midnight might not be the best to schedule, but we do have a writer’s strike going on, what else are they really showing?

So for those of you who might be interested, where do we stand right now? On the men’s side, even with Federer sick leading up to things he’s always the favorite, though I like that Djokovic kid. With Sharapova in excellent form taking out Henin (and the always wild card Williams sisters out) she has to be looking good, though I do like Ivanovic.

• Men’s First Semifinal – Nadal (2) vs. Tsonga (Thursday – was at 12:30am/pst but… I won’t tell you who won – replays at noon/pst)
• Men’s Second Semifinal – Federer (1) vs. Djokovic (3) (Friday 12:30am/pst replays at noon/pst)
• Women’s Final – Ivonovic (4) vs. Sharapova (5) (Friday at 6pm/pst)
• Men’s Final – TBD  (Sun 12:30 am/pst) 

ESPN2, Check your local listings.

Monday

• Samantha Who? (ABC, 9pm) New Time – Just when I had my system down, switching from 2 1/2 Men to this they have to screw with the schedule… I still find this show funny as Sam navigates her new and old lives with amnesia.
• Notes from the Underbelly (ABC, 9:30pm) Season Premiere – I found this show almost funny, but not quite, as a young couple gets pregnant and tries to find their place between their crazy single friends and their crazy married-and-in-the-family-way friends.

Tuesday

• Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, 8pm) – Whoopi also does a little behind the scenes of this holiday classic.
• Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 9pm) – Fifth season finale with Melanie, Helio, and Marie (that’s spice girl, race car driver and osmond) going for the title.
• House (Fox, 9pm) – If you haven’t been following along House’s attempts to pick a new team you’ve been missing out, he finalizes tonight, and it’s been a great way to see new interactions with new characters and him getting to mess wtih folks on a whole new level, I say cutthroat bitch gets the ax, i don’t even miss the less seen old crew all that much.

Wednesday

• Shrek the Halls/How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC, 8, 8:30pm) – Really there was a Shrek tv special?
• Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC, 8pm) – Al Roker, some songsters, and a big lit tree.

Thursday

• My Name is Earl (NBC, 8pm) – Who knew prison could keep the stories going but could Earl’s attempts to earn his freedom deplete his lottery winnings?

Friday

• Davis Cup (VS, Fri 1pm, Sat 12:30pm, Sun 1pm check your local listings) – Well this is the US men’s team tennis finals with Roddick, Blake and the Brian brothers trying to win the title by defeating Russia, singles Friday, doubles Saturday and reverse singles Sunday.
• My Night at the Grammys (CBS, 8pm) – Apparently there are moments from the Grammy’s they deem worth sharing.

Saturday

• Jesse Stone: Sea Change (CBS, 8pm) – This is a rerun of one of the Tom Selleck as Parker’s Jesse drunk sheriffing in a small town.
• Radio City Christmas Spectacular (NBC, 8pm) – You know, more Christmas stuff.

Sunday

• Pictures of Hollis Woods (CBS, 9pm) – Sissy Spacek gets title role in this tv movie about a foster mom and her ward.

So when one friend referred to Federer as ‘some Swiss guy’ and another said ‘isn’t Wimbledon already over?’ I realized that folks aren’t necessarily as up to date on tennis as I am. If you want to join the fun, the US Open is happening in NY, the last and perhaps most stylish of the four grand slams (the others are Australian, French and Wimbledon).

The men’s section is often a little boring with Federer (some Swiss guy) dominating the game, though he is a true champion and a gracious guy, so you can’t even fault him. With spunky Spanish Nadal at 2 (beating Federer on clay at French) and hopefully a few of the other guys being on their game there’s still hope for a little challenge (US’s Roddick and Blake are out but competitive at 5 and 6). This isn’t Nadal’s surface and he’s having some knee issues so he’s already out. We’re down to Federer (1) vs. Davydenko (4) and Djokovic (3) vs. Ferrer (15). I’m predicting a Federer/Djokovic final with Federer on top in the end.  

The women’s section is a little more open with the beatable Henin currently on top, followed by Sharapova who can’t always put it together (she’s out). The unpredictable US’s Williams are back in the mix with Venus and Serena (Serena was ousted by Henin) trying to overcome injuries (or get over issues due to extracurricular activities) to play enough to get their rankings back to what they’re capable of. This one has Henin (1) vs. V. Williams (12) and Kuznetsova (4) vs. Chakvetadze (6) and I’m going with Williams taking it from Kuznetsova in the final.

CBS network coverage

• Friday, 12:30pm ET – Women’s Semis and Men’s Doubles Finals
• Saturday, 12 noon ET – Men’s Semis
• Saturday, 8pm ET – Women’s Finals
• Sunday, 4pm ET (or following football) – Men’s Finals

For all your stats and updates check out: http://www.usopen.org/  and if you just can’t get enough you can check out on the rest of things (including Davis Cup – US is in the semis!) at: http://www.usta.com/