Serbian army ready to storm Dubai Tennis Championships

Dubai: Serbia might be a small nation, but it is a giant on the tennis stage. And the three rulers of the centre court will all be strong contenders for the 2008 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships when play gets under way on Monday.

Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic have set the nation alight, with up to 20,000 cheering fans cramming into the city square to acclaim their sporting heroes when they appeared on the balcony of the Parliament building in Belgrade.

Now their fans in Dubai can watch the brightest stars of the tennis world as they bid to overcome the strongest field of players ever assembled in the history of the tournament.

Djokovic is a world No 1 in waiting, as he has shown by beating both players who currently block his way, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Model looks

A victory over Nadal in the 2007 Miami quarterfinals was followed by another in the semis of the Masters Series event in Canada, and he also has two wins over the almost unbeatable Swiss, the first coming at that same event in Canada last year and the next in sensational straight sets at the Australian Open.

Ivanovic captures hearts wherever she goes, combining model girl looks with a fresh and innocent personality, and after marches to the final of the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open it is only a matter of time before she joins childhood friend Djokovic as a Grand Slam champion.

Now No 2 in the world behind four-time Dubai champion Justine Henin, Ivanovic stretched the Belgian to 6-4 in the third in a sensational Sydney semifinal last month, cementing her challenge for the top spot in the rankings.

Jankovic has also excelled at the highest level, reaching the semifinals of the US Open in 2006 and then the same stage at both the 2007 French and 2008 Australian Opens.

One of the great characters of the game, she always entertains with her never-say-die spirit, and that last season carried her to titles in Auckland, Charleston, Rome and Birmingham, and finals in Sydney, s-Hertogenbosch, Toronto and Beijing. And, like Djokovic, she is also a Grand Slam champion, last year lifting the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon with Jamie Murray.

Despite their success elsewhere, none have yet won the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. All three will find the toughest possible challenge in Dubai as they face a field as strong as they face in any Grand Slam. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Murray, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova and Amelie Mauresmo are just some of the star names standing in the way of their first Dubai title.