By Erik Gudris                                                  Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

(January 26^th. 2012) Despite doubles getting second billing at any Grand Slam event with teams playing matches on faraway outside courts at odd hours and in front of sparse crowds, sometimes the best action, and drama, takes place between teams battling each other for a much needed paycheck and the chance to see their names listed on the honor roll of champions for the event. This year’s Australian Open is no exception, but with it being an Olympic year, doubles fans have been treated to seeing a few more familiar faces from the singles tour team up together as they hope their preparation now leads to a medal in London later this summer.

The most high profile pairing to come about because of the Olympics was that of Serena Williams and Andy Roddick who were scheduled to play in the mixed doubles event in Melbourne before Roddick had to withdraw due to an hamstring injury he suffered in his singles match against Lleyton Hewitt. It’s unclear if Williams and Roddick will still play mixed doubles in London as Williams has indicated she would also like to play doubles with her sister Venus Williams at the Olympics if and when the older sister returns to the tour.

 In the women’s doubles event, the biggest story has been the unexpected success of unseeded duo Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva who have found themselves in the final after defeating the defending champions Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta and along the way. The Russians are no strangers to doubles as they have played as a team for Fed Cup and at several other tour events, but their potent combination of being tough to outhit from the baseline and their savvy at net have made them a slight favorite against the all Italian team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.