Hopman Cup Headliners

Every year the season opens with a spirited show of international competition, as top players from the WTA and ATP World Tour join forces at the Hopman Cup. Featuring eight pairs representing their countries, it consists of singles and mixed doubles matches. Here is a look at the eight WTA players participating in the 2011 edition of the event, beginning January 1:

Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)
This will be the 23-year-old's second time competing in the Hopman Cup, but her first playing for Serbia as an independent country. She last participated in the tournament in 2006 as Serbia & Montenegro, going 2-1 in her singles matches. She and partner Novak Djokovic, who will her be teammate once again, took the country to a 2-1 record but failed to make the final. As the No.1 seed in 2011, they will be a tough pair to contend with at the Burswood Dome in Perth. Ivanovic heads into the event after finishing the 2010 season on a high, winning Bali and returning to the Top 20 after a year absence.

Laura Robson (Great Britain)
The talented up-and-comer finished second in last year's Hopman Cup, partnering Andy Murray as Great Britain fell to Spain in the finals. Robson lost all of her round robin singles matches in her first Hopman appearance, but gave her country its only victory in the final, defeating then-world No.26 María José Martínez Sánchez in straight sets. She and Murray are seeded second at the 2011 Cup. The 16-year-old is currently ranked No.219, but has been as high as No.189. She fell in the opening round of her first Grand Slam main draw appearance at Wimbledon in 2009, a year after she won the junior girls title.

Justine Henin (Belgium)
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has never played before in Perth, though Belgium has been represented five times at the Hopman Cup, never winning the title. Henin has enjoyed great success in Australia though, winning the nation's Grand Slam title in 2004 and Sydney in 2004, 2006 and 2008. The hardcourts in Melbourne also were home to the former world No.1's triumphant comeback in 2010, where she made it all the way to the finals as a wildcard. Her return to tennis was cut short following an elbow injury sustained at Wimbledon though, and the Hopman Cup will be her first tournament since the end of June. Henin will be paired up with Ruben Bemelmans as the third seed.

Francesca Schiavone (Italy)
The 2011 Hopman Cup will mark the Italian's third trip to Perth, where she is an impressive 5-1 in singles matches. Her only loss came against Anastasia Myskina in 2005. Italy has never won the title though, but as the final seed (No.4) in the tournament, she and partner Potito Starace will look to change that this year. Schiavone is coming off her most successful season yet, as she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, famously kissing the red clay after becoming the second-oldest player to win her maiden major title. The 30-year-old also got her first Top 10 ranking, where she remains today in spot No.7.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)
The third-ranked American will be stepping in to replace Serena Williams as John Isner's partner at the Hopman Cup, after Williams was forced to withdraw due to her foot injury. Mattek-Sands will be playing in Perth for the first time as she looks to take the United States to their sixth championship. The 25-year-old improved greatly in 2010, reaching the finals of Québec City and bringing her ranking up to No.58 from No.152. She also played a crucial role for the US in its 2010 Fed Cup second-place finish. In the semis against Russia, she won the fourth rubber to keep the Americans in it, and then was victorious in doubles.

Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan)
After a year that saw the 23-year-old win two doubles Grand Slam titles (at Wimbledon and the US Open alongside Vania King), she and partner Andrey Golubev are a team to look out for at the Hopman Cup. The pair went 1-1 in the doubles court last year, the first time Kazakhstan competed in the event, while Shvedova finished 2-1 in her singles matches. With her 2010 Wimbledon title, she also became the first player from her country to possess a Grand Slam trophy. Her successes weren't limited to doubles play though, as she also sits at No.39 in singles and advanced to the quarterfinals at the French Open.

Alicia Molik (Australia)
Aussie Molik is a Hopman Cup veteran, as the 2011 version will be her seventh. Her best result came in 2003, when her and partner Lleyton Hewitt lost to Americans Serena Williams and James Blake in the final. She will be playing with the top-ranked Australian male again, as they look to give the home country its first Hopman Cup. A former Top 10 player, reaching No.8 in 2005, Molik retired in 2007 but returned less than a year later. In 2010 the 29-year-old reached the fourth round at Indian Wells and finished the season ranked No.121.

Kristina Mladenovic (France)
The Frenchwoman is the second youngster to play in this year's edition of the Hopman Cup, joining Robson. Unlike Great Britain's representative though, it will be Mladenovic's first time in Perth, where she will team up with Gael Monfils. The 17-year-old was the 2009 Roland Garros junior girls champion, and has played in four Grand Slam main draws, bowing out in the first round each time. In the 2010 season, Mladenovic advanced to the second round in Strasbourg, the furthest she has played at any WTA event. Though her career high is world No.171, achieved in April 2010, she now sits at No.349.