It’s early morning tennis time!

You don’t have to be a tennis fan to appreciate the talents of Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic and more at the 2013 Australian Open. I won’t spoil anything for anyone, but some great matches take place overnight.

Serbian Djokovic is playing this morning in a real nail-biter. Last year, he played in the final match that took 5 hours and 53 minutes — the longest final in history, but not the longest match by any means.

If you’re a tennis fan, early morning TV is live with the Aussie Open, or check out all the coverage at AustralianOpen.com.

Sharapova has had some great years and some real disappointments after shoulder surgery several years ago. She has been “steamrolling,” the Aussie websites say, this year. Good for her. Serena Williams is playing well also, but sister Venus is out of singles play.  But as a doubles team, the Williams sisters are still contenders.

Matches like these are something to see. For those of us who have played tennis every week for decades, or even if you just take the game up tomorrow — it’s great exercise, great fun and exciting to watch — especially live in the early mornings. G’day!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

Andy Roddick's red, white and blue sneakers at the 2012 US Open.

Getting kicks at the U.S. Open is a colorful pastime this year. Retiring Andy Roddick wore shoes that appeared to be wrapped in the American flag and the Babolat Propulse 3 Stars & Stripes are flying off the shelves. He wore them for the Olympics. See a couple styles from $109 to $124 right here.

Retiring Roddick isn’t the only colorfully sneakered player. Switzerland’s Stanislaus Wawrinka sports the baby blues below. Spain’s Nicolas Almagro favors bright orange kicks. The greenery belongs to Marinko Matosevic and the red jobbies adorn the feet of American Bethanie Mattek- Sands.

I have been known to wear very colorful shoes myself. Mine are on the order of Marinko’s, but mine are bright green – -tennis ball green, and I have a shirt to match! 

Pam Parker is an avid tennis player and the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Timesand House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

In this AP photo by Charles Krupa, Venus and Serena Williams wave to fans after a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Russia's Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova at the U.S. Open.

The Williams sisters, pretty much unbeatable in major doubles’ competitions,  met their match Sunday at the hands of Russian players Maria Kirilenko and  Nadia Petrova. Venus suffers from  Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease, and it clearly affects her play at times. I feel awful for her — she tries so hard.

Victoria Azarenka takes on Samantha Stosur, and the stats side with Azarenka, but Stosur is the defending champion. No matter who wins this one – -the road ahead is not easy.

Sara Errani plays  Roberta Vinci, and these two Italians are a doubles team — after they play doubles today, they will face off in singles.  Serena Williams plays Ana Ivanovic, and Maria Sharapova plays Marion Bartoli. That will whittle it all down to a final four.

I’ve seen Errani play and she has beaten some big names. Williams is playing some of her best tennis ever. Maria can always pull off a surprise and no can count out Stosur, Bartoli or Azarenka.

On the mens side, Andy Roddick plays Juan Martin del Potro tonight, and this will be Roddick’s toughest match yet. I have watched a lot of Roddick because every match could be his last.  Novak Djokovic will take on the winner, so we can all hope Roddick has an extra bag of tricks to extend his wins, but the closer we get to the finals, the more I wonder if Roddick has the steam to get there. And  Roger Federer is guaranteed to be well rested because his opponent American Mardy Fish defaulted yesterday due to health problems.

I am loving the coverage — just loving it — you can watch live on http://www.usopen.org/index.html and of course on TV.

Pam Parker has been a tennis player for more than 35 years.  She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Check out Mike Copper’s article on Erie tennis phenom Mary Dailey, right here.

Dailey, 50, played tennis for Mercyhurst Prep in the 1970s.

She was honored today at the U.S. Open for winning national double’s tournaments on a variety of surfaces in 2011. She received the Grand Slam of Women’s Professional Tennis award for USTA doubles titles on clay, grass, indoor and outdoor hard courts. Congrats to Mary!

Pam Parker has been a tennis player for more than 35 years.  She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

It’s an odd year when nearly 31-year-old Serena Williams starts interviews with “I’m not retiring.” But who can blame her when 29-year-old Kim Clijsters announced last week that she would retire from singles after the U.S. Open.

Not 24 hours later, 30-year-old Andy Roddick added that it was his swan song as well. He plays today — read the US Open discussion of his chances here.

Serena is having one of her best years ever, and I would be surprised to see anyone beat her. She has come back from some major health problems, and had a disastrous French Open — losing in the opening round. She came back to win her fifth Wimbledon in record fashion with 24 services aces in one match and a record 102 in the tournament at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. She also won the gold medal in the Olympics’ singles tournament and gold in the doubles with her sister Venus.

What’s to become of American tennis after Roddick leaves the game?  John Isner, 27, is moving up the ranks along with Jack Sock, 20.

On the women’s side, Sloane Stepens, 19, is making some waves as a younger American to be reckoned with. Her late father was a pro football player and her mom is a former All American swimmer.

Pam Parker has been a tennis player for more than 30 years. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

In honor of Serena William winning gold in tennis at he Olympics, I have to share this for everyone who ever wanted a tennis, basketball or sport court in the backyard. I know a lot of local folks who installed courts.

But they don’t look like the courts on these $3 to $20 million-dollar homes. Click here to see some homes that really have a home-court advantage.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

This much color might not be for everyone, but these Saucony kicks are tame compared to some of the shoes available on the wall at Achille’s on West 12th Street in Erie, Pa.

And I got the shirt to match at TJ Maxx.

Color is all over feet of tennis players, runners and more. Don’t be shy about color.

And the gang I play tennis with is not shy about telling me my construction safety uniform would be perfect on any highway. So would my tennis game!

Pam Parker is an avid and colorful tennis player. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Her name is synonymous with winning — Quad games, triathalons, duathlons and more. In Pittsburgh, Erie’s Pamela McCormick finished second among women and 28th overall in the International Distance Triathlon Sunday. It included a600-meter swim in the Allegheny River, a 20K bike race through Pittsburgh and a 5K run along the Allegheny River.

McCormick, 39, continues her dominance of sporting events. The mom of seven finished the International Distance Triathlon in 2 hours, 13 minutes, 44 seconds. McCormick has qualified to represent Pennsylvania in the Best of the U.S. 2012 Championship.

She was also the fastest female finisher at the A Tri in the Buff triathlon with a time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, 6 seconds on July 7 in Buffalo. It was the first time she had competed in the event.

For all us moms, she’s an inspiration. And Pamela is the daughter of Denise Illig Robison and the late Robbie Robison. Denise is an athlete in her own right. I have played tennis with her for years.

Pam Parker, an avid tennis player with bad knees, ran for years, but never raced — except with her kids. Pam’s daughter is a former McDowell High School track star with numerous state championship medals and the title of cross country runner of the year. Pam is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

In a letter to the editor yesterday in the Erie Times-News, a 72-year-old man wrote a great letter. James Ligons of Erie wrote that high school athletes should learn to play tennis because of the hand and eye coordination, footwork and endurance.

As a tennis player, I endorse that!  He added another note about men playing tennis in their 80s and 90s. Very true — I play with them, and they can kick your butt any day of the week!

There was a time when I was going to give up tennis because of my bad runner’s knees. Then I played with these guys. And gals. You’ll never quit if you see these folks in action.

If you want to take up the game, visit Westwood Racquet Club or Pennbriar Athletic Club.  They can hook you and your kids up with a lesson just to see if you like it. My kids have played since they were little. They never played competitively like I did, but they all acknowledge that it improves balance in nearly every sport.

And this week, you can tune into Wimbledon where you’ll see some professional tennis action.  And for anyone who says it’s too expensive — I spent more money bowling than I ever did at tennis. Read Ligons’ letter here.

Pam Parker is the mom of three, stepmom of three and editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Even if you’re not a tennis fan, you’ve probably heard of Venus Williams and Serena Williams, two women who pretty much changed the face of professional tennis more than 10 years ago. And they are American women who pretty much learned the game on public courts in Compton, outside of Los Angeles.

For the first time in 47 professional tournaments, Serena Williams,30, lost in the first round at Roland Garros in Paris during French Open, the prestigious clay tournament.

Venus Williams, just shy of 32, was booted one day later in a second-round match when Agnieszka Radwanska beat the champion 6-2, 6-3 in an hour.

Age, illness and injury are creeping up on the champion Williams sisters. Radwanska, 23, had no fear and plenty of energy against Venus, who is publicly battling Sjogren’s Syndrome, something that often robs her of energy.

What a run they’ve had. Venus has won $28 million in prize money since turning pro in 1994. Serena has won more than $36 million since turning pro in 1995. I don’t think they’re done. The Olympics are coming, and they will hopefully mentor some more Americans, and give us something to cheer about.

Pam Parker is an award-winning writer and editor for Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.