In the bag? Is that where you're going to hide your head if you finish behind Sheddie?

AUS OPEN 2009 'BATTLE OF THE BOARDS' PICK 'EM

"Be there or risk retaining your sanity for the next two weeks"

The entry form for the Australian Open pick 'em is now available via http://www.britishtennis.net/competitions.html

DEADLINE

The main draw starts at midnight UK time on Sunday night, so entries will close on Sunday at 23.59 GMT, which is 6.59 PM US Eastern, 11.00 Monday Melbourne time and 00.59 Monday CET. However, if you were not in the top 250 of the year-end overall pick 'em rankings, they may close earlier - please see (*) below.

There is plenty of time to enter and not much free time on Monday to sort out the results, so no late entries will be accepted under any circumstances.

WINNER PICKS

Before you pick your favourite player to win the title, it might be worth bearing in mind that the time you could most need this competition to keep your interest in the tournament going is if things don't go to plan and your favourite goes out early. Hence there's no need to feel disloyal if you don't pick them to win! Of course, having thought about this, you're then welcome to pick them to win anyway if you think they will!

MATCHES INVOLVING QUALIFIERS

Qualifying is due to finish on Saturday. If it does, the entry form with qualifiers placed will be available sometime on Saturday afternoon. You are of course welcome to enter before that and pick for matches involving qualifiers without knowing who they are if you want to.

(*) ENTRY LIMIT

We will cap the number of entrants at 500 if more than 500 people enter, with the top 250 in the overall pick 'em rankings getting automatic entry as long as they enter before the deadline and the remaining places going to those outside the top 250 and newbies on a first come first served basis. Automatic entry for top 250 players only applies if you enter with exactly the same name as is shown on the overall rankings at http://www.britishtennis.net/pickem/ranking.htm?n=1 so please be careful!

I doubt we'll go over 500 this time because Tennisopolis aren't 'bribing' anybody to be on their team this time and I expect American entries generally to be lower than they were for the USO. Also, we are not actively trying to recruit new teams at the moment, though we will let new teams in if they contact us wishing to play.

However, just in case we do get close to 500, a link on the competitions page gives more info about the reasons why we impose the 500 limit and exactly how it will work.

EMAIL REMINDERS

Email reminders to those who asked for them will be going out sometime on Friday, or on Saturday afternoon to those who asked to be reminded only when qualifiers have been placed.

GOOD LUCK! (this is going to be a tough one to pick, so you'll probably need it ...)

Well thats done....went for some seeds dropping out early with the odd Q/WC getting a round or two. Nole wont make the semis...went for Murray over Fed for the title.

Verdasco to crash out...

The french will go deep. Simon, Gasguet, Monfils....

Dark horse : Gulbis

Nadal will go out in the quarters..

Just some of my silly predictions...perhaps the reason why I am ranked 351st.

BBC 606 have got more entrants than you lot at the moment! *cough*

I seem to have had a pretty good evening - only 3 wrong so far

Do have a couple of vital games going on at the moment though..Niemienen needs to turn it around I have him beating Djok later on.

already done in by bloody GEM's, this time Llodra, who decided after a tight 1st set ge'd give up vs xman (still i had him donw to lose to roddick 2nd rd so hopefulyl wont be too bad)
whilst another GEM i bet against - Santoro goes through.

and Fat Dave seems to be losing to a GEM!

hmm a quick look through the rest of the draw and it doesn't seem great to me so far.