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It has been busy in the tennis baby stakes over the festive period. Lindsay Davenport, the former world No.1, Wimbledon and US Open champion, returned to the tour in September 2007, three months after she gave birth to a son Jagger, and promptly won 13 of 14 matches and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles in Bali and Quebec. We don't expect the same scenario this time, Davenport and John Leach, her husband, having announced that Lindsay is expecting a second child. Instead, she is "putting tennis on hold for the foreseeable future".

Lleyton Hewitt became a father for the second time, when Bec Cartwright, his wife, gave birth to a son, Cruz (also the name of David Beckham's third son), a brother to three-year-old Mia. Ivan Ljubicic is the newest member of the ATP Board of directors and a former world No.3 but those achievements paled in significance when the 29-year-old Croat's wife Aida, welcomed their first child, Leonardo, on December 10.

Talk about doubling up! Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, the Wimbledon champions and world No.1 pair had happy news to impart. Nestor, the Canadian, and his wife Natasha, welcomed their first child, a daughter Tiana on December 15, a fortnight after Mina Zimonjic, delivered twins, Luna and Leon.

And one for the future. Barbara Schett, a lovely lady from Austria who retired four years ago, is expecting her first child with her husband, Joshua Eagle, the Australian ex doubles specialist. The pair, who married in July 2007, live in Schett's hometown of Tirol. Schett will be an analyst for Eurosport during the Australian Open. Congratulations to them all.

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Sadder news to relate. The death has been announced of Kim Clijsters' father Leo, who was an inspiration to the former world No.1 from Belgium. The ex-international footballer passed away at 52 after a long battle with lung cancer. Clijsters was capped 40 times and was a member of the Belgium team that reached the 1986 World Cup semi-finals. Kim had wanted to give him a grandchild before he died and her wish came true when she and husband Brian Lynch had a baby daughter, Jada, 11 months ago.

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For those not yet ready to let go of the old year, here comes a reprise of the US Open, a book that offers a distinctly different insight into the goings-on over two weeks in September when 700,000 citizens descended upon Flushing Meadows and Andy Murray really came to the world's attention. "Inside the US Open" ($12.99 on Amazon.com) is written by Richard Kent, a lawyer who specialises in 'matrimonial matters' by day and is a tennis nut every waking minute. It's worth a read - and not only because yours truly figures in the acknowledgments!!