This week's edition touches on a much anticipated Davis Cup final, the different directions that Serbia's top two women players are heading in, a ban for an Italian that didn't involve gambling and the story of a top tennis player, a robbery and a torched car.

ARGENTINA V SPAIN

It was a final that looked on from the quarter-finals onwards and now it’s a reality. Argentina will host its first ever Davis Cup in late November indoor on carpet in Cordoba. That’s not the only ‘first’ that this tie brings us – it will be the first time that Argentina have played a home tie on anything other than an outdoor clay court. A real kick in the teeth for those who like to lazily stereotype any player that comes out of South America as simply a ‘clay courter’.

Times are changing and Argentina’s top two singles players, David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro, although good clay court players, are even better on faster surfaces and naturally Argentina are not willing to play the tie on clay – only to then see Rafael Nadal dominate proceedings.

I’ve frequently told the regulars on Kings of Clay how special the atmosphere is likely to be when the time comes for Argentina to host a final, and we’ll now get the chance to see just what a spectacle it will be in November. I can’t wait to see this final on a personal and professional level, I’m just sad I won’t be there for what will be a historic occasion. If you love tennis and you love a football like atmosphere, then you can’t afford to miss this final.

CHANGING PLACES

When Ana Ivanovic beat Jelena Jankovic in the last four at Roland Garros and then went on to win her first Grand Slam it looked as if Ivanovic had taken a step ahead of Jankovic in the women’s game. A few months later and the doubts about Jankovic at the very top of the game are gradually being answered while mystery surrounds whether Ivanovic is capable of handling the expectation that now surrounds her.

It’s worth remembering that Ivanovic is a Grand Slam champion, while Jankovic isn’t, yet. So it’s not all bad for Ana and great for Jelena. However, it’s the decline in Ivanovic’s performance and results since the French Open that is so alarming. Even accounting for the fact Ana hasn’t been at 100% health wise recently, her results are still poor and she looks completely devoid of confidence and belief in her game. And when your game is all about hitting winners and taking the initiative in rallies, you can’t afford to do without confidence.

Meanwhile Jankovic followed up from the US Open by losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the last eight in Tokyo, but then gained revenge on the Russian the following week by winning the title in Beijing, destroying Kuznetsova in the process. Jankovic remains world number two but is in with a great chance of ending the year as number one. Ivanovic has slipped down to fifth and although it’s improbable she’ll drop much lower before the end of the year, it’s doubtful whether she’ll be able to climb any higher before the season is over given her current form.

ITALIAN FEDERATION SHOW NO MERCY WITH BOLELLI

When Roger Federer doesn’t turn up to represent Switzerland in Davis Cup he gets the usual criticism about being half-hearted when it comes to Davis Cup from the likes of myself. When Simone Bolelli doesn’t turn up to represent Italy in Davis Cup he gets an indefinite ban from representing his nation in Davis Cup and the Olympics, as well as a freeze on wildcards dished out by the Italian federation.

Seems harsh, doesn’t it? On the one hand it’s nice to see a federation demanding long term commitment from their players, on the other hand it certainly seems like Bolelli is being harshly treated for looking out for his own interests career-wise.

Over the past year Italian players have been in the tennis news mainly for being caught with online gambling accounts – nothing of great significance, all the wagers were that of an average punter and essentially on football not tennis. Now another Italian player is in the news for a different kind of ban.

DUDE, WHERE’S MY CAR?

Before you ask the question, the answer is no. I did not watch this film the other night when it was on channel 5. However, the title does seem appropriate for this next segment. Last week after dinner at the home of his parents in Buenos Aires, Guillermo Canas was robbed. Fortunately the man who won ‘comeback player of the year’ in 2001 was unharmed during the incident.

His Mercedes convertible cannot say the same. Here’s how it may have looked before the robbery.

And here’s how police found it not long after.

I’m not really into cars myself; in fact I don’t even drive. The only way these pictures make sense to me was if you said the before picture was the equivalent of Yasmine Bleeth, and the after picture was Yasmine Bleeth after the drugs. Put simply, a real waste.

See you again in two weeks. The Madrid and Paris Masters Series events are not too far away now as the race to grab those four remaining places for Shanghai heats up.