March 26, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 17, 1429

MIAMI (Florida), March 25: A sizzling start to the 2008 tennis season had Novak Djokovic re-evaluating his goals heading into his title defence at the Sony Ericsson WTA and ATP Masters Series that starts here this week.

The 20-year-old Serb seized his first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in January, and on Sunday he captured the first of the year’s prestigious Masters Series titles at Indian Wells, California.

“It has been a dream start, of course,” Djokovic said after a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over unexpected American Mardy Fish in the Pacific Life Open final on Sunday.

“Before I started playing this season, I said that my two goals are to be consistent with the results, reach the Masters Cup and hopefully win one Grand Slam.

“I did all that in a very, very small amount of time.”

However, Djokovic doesn’t plan to rest on his laurels.

“I don’t want to stop here,” he said. “I’ll try to keep going in Miami, and I’m defending champion there. Coming up from Indian Wells as the tournament winner, it’s much easier.”

World No 3 Djokovic has narrowed the gap on second-ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal to 425 points.

Both Nadal and world No 1 Roger Federer arrive in Miami in search of a first 2008 title.

For Federer, it is the first time since 2000 that he has gone so far into a season without hoisting a trophy. The Swiss, who has reigned at No 1 since 2004, was slowed early this year by a debilitating bout with mononucleosis.

At Indian Wells he looked more his old self - until he was shocked in the semi-finals by unseeded Fish. Fish’s spectacular run at Indian Wells – where he beat three top-10 players – propelled him from 98th in the world back into the top-50, a welcome advance for the oft-injured player once ranked as high as 17th in the world.

Other players expected to make a run at Djokovic’s Miami title are Americans Andy Roddick – the 2004 champion – and James Blake, Russian Nikolay Davydenko and France’s Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Defending women’s champion Serena Williams returns, seeking her fifth Miami title in seven years.

Williams won three straight crowns from 2002-2004, then returned to Miami in 2007 for the first time since her 2004 title run.

Last year Williams saved two match points against top-ranked Belgian Justine Henin en route to an 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 triumph.

If Williams can win again, she would tie German great Steffi Graf for most singles titles in tournament history.

Henin, who skipped the Indian Wells event, returns to the fray in Florida.

Also gunning for Williams’s title will be her sister, Venus, rising Serbian stars Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.

Ivanovic solidified her hold on the world number two ranking with a convincing win over Kuznetsova in the Indian Wells women’s final.

Jankovic took over the No 3 spot in the world rankings with her run to the semi-finals in California while Kuznetsova arrives in Miami in the world No 4 spot after her third runner-up finish of 2008.

One notable absentee is Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, who withdrew after her semi-final defeat in California complaining of a shoulder injury.

Tennis mum Lindsay Davenport, who was forced to retire from her quarter-final match in Indian Wells with a back injury, remained hopeful that she would bounce back in time to compete in Miami.

ATP rankings:

1. (1) Roger Federer (Switzerland) 6550 points; 2. (2) Rafael Nadal (Spain) 5705; 3. (3) Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 5280; 4. (4) Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 2710; 5. (5) David Ferrer (Spain) 2640; 6. (6) Andy Roddick (US) 2160; 7. (7) David Nalbandian (Argentina) 2100; 8. (8) Richard Gasquet (France) 1885; 9. (9) James Blake (US) 1800; 10. (10) Tomas

Berdych (Czech Republic) 1685; 11. (13) Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 1545; 12. (17) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 1534; 13. (11) Andy Murray (Britain) 1525; 14. (15) Tommy Robredo (Spain) 1520; 15. (16) Guillermo Canas (Argentina) 1505; 16. (14) Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 1495; 17. (18) Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 1485; 18. (12) Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) 1445; 19. (21) Juan Monaco (Argentina) 1425; 20. (20) Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) 1425.

WTA rankings:

1. (1) Justine Henin (Belgium) 6330 points; 2. (2) Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 4296; 3. (4) Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 3790; 4. (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 3750; 5. (5) Maria Sharapova (Russia) 3671; 6. (6) Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 2845; 7. (7) Venus Williams (US) 2771; 8. (9) Serena Williams (US) 2297; 9. (8) Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 2267; 10. (10) Marion Bartoli (France) 2198; 11. (11) Elena Dementieva (Russia) 2180; 12. (12) Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 1871; 13. (15) Dinara Safina (Russia) 1627; 14. (13) Tatiana Golovin (France) 1579; 15. (14) Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) 1558; 16. (19) Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 1527; 17. (16) Nadia Petrova (Russia) 1505; 18. (17) Agnes Szavay (Hungary) 1489; 19. (18) Shahar Peer (Israel) 1400; 20. (21) Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 1367.—Agencies