Maria will begin her official 2008 campaign at the Australian Open in Melbourne which begins on Monday, January 14th. The Australian Open is the 1st Grand Slam of the year.
Maria has arrived in Melbourne and was practicing today at Rod Laver Arena and didn't seem phased by the hot condition. Maria was practicing her serve and return game.
If the tournament goes by the official rankings then Maria will be seeded #5 and so in theory could draw a top 4 player as early as the quarters. The main draw will be released on Friday.
This year's event will be played on a new surface "Plexicushion". Here is what Maria had to say about the new surface in Singapore last week: "Well I heard it's going to be a faster surface and I also heard that it's not going to be as sticky which is going to be beneficial for all players especially in extreme heat. The court gets very sticky and a lot of injuries can occur. So yes, I am very excited about it."
Maria has played this event 5 times before and her best ever result was reaching the final last year.
So keep checking back for all the latest on Maria at the Australian Open!