12 for '12: Runner-Ups of the Year

Peter Bodo continues his year-end awards—12 in all, for 2012—with the Runner-Ups of the Year. You can see rest of his selections as well as the upcoming awards at the end of this article.

Women: Maria Sharapova

Think about this: Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams, and Agnieszka Radwanska <em>collectively</em> lost one fewer final than Sharapova did in 2012. That’s a tribute to the aforementioned trio more than a slight of Sharapova, who found a way to complete a career Grand Slam in between the time she spent losing those finals.  

Serena was the only woman in this elite quartet who didn’t lose a single final this year, and she was responsible for two of those six final-round losses by Sharapova. But top-ranked Azarenka was the greatest Pova-killer on the tour this year, getting the best of the Russian in three big finals. Let’s review Sharapova’s final-round misfires, starting in January:  

Australian Open, Azarenka d. Sharapova, 6-3, 6-0: Much like Andy Murray’s time seemed to have come at the U.S. Open, Azarenka’s moment arrived in the very first major of the year. She played flawlessly after losing her first service game, but this was also one of those days when Sharapova just couldn’t get any kind of momentum going.

Indian Wells, Azarenka d. Sharapova, 6-2, 6-3: While nominally better than her performance in Australia, you just know Maria was doing a slow burn after this one. It was a cold and blustery day, less than ideal for the confidence of a server—especially one who struggles as mightily with her serve as Sharapova.

Miami, Radwanska d. Sharapova, 7-5, 6-4: This one was at least a decent final, and it was a joy to watch the contrast between the puncher always looking to score the quick knockout (Sharapova) and the finesse player jabbing and throwing arresting, creative combinations—which ultimately took their toll.

Olympics, S. Williams d. Sharapova, 6-0, 6-1: Although her serve can be a great weapon when it’s functioning correctly—it wasn’t, in this match—and her groundstrokes can be lethal on the relatively fast grass, Sharapova is a somewhat wooden player whose movement has always been suspect. And grass courts punish players whose footwork suffers due to a lapse in performace. For Serena, this was like shooting floating rubber ducks in one of those carnival games.

Beijing, Azarenka d. Sharapova, 6-3, 6-1: All year, Azarenka showed that, just like Sharapova, she prefers to play quick-strike tennis. However, she’s more consistent and she covers the court better. When Sharapova can’t plant her feet and dictate, Azarenka can push and run her around because of the forcing nature of her own game.

WTA Championships, S. Williams d. Sharapova, 6-4, 6-3: You have to hand it to Sharapova; no matter how badly she’s beaten, she keeps getting up off the canvas to fight again. It was more of the same in this, her ninth straight loss to Williams. And the scores aren’t getting closer, either: Sharapova has won an average of just four games per match in their last four meetings.

The one thing about which we can be fairly sure, though, is that Maria will be back for more in 2013.

Men: Novak Djokovic

It seems almost perverse to name a “Runner-Up of the Year,” but we realized this next-of-kin to the backhanded compliment actually constitutes a remarkable endorsement in this year of Djokovic. What can you say about a guy who’s Player of the Year and also the obvious choice as the most impressive runner-up?  

If you didn’t know better, you’d suspect Nole of being a glory hog.  

His record, though, speaks for itself. All five of Djokovic’s second-place trophies were awarded at either Grand Slam or Masters tournaments. If we were to change this category to “Finalist of the Year,” he would tower over the field by an even larger number—at least when you factor in the degree-of-difficulty. Djokovic played 11 finals in 2012, including three Grand Slams and seven Masters 1000s. The odd event out was Beijing (one of Djokovic’s six wins). Anyone else suspect that in addition to the appearance fee, the promoters of the China Open offered a hefty bonus for winning?  

So let’s revisit Djokovic’s year of having it both ways: Champion and Runner-Up, more frequently and in greater tournaments than his peers, starting with his first loss in a final, way back in April.  

Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal d. Djokovic, 6-3, 6-1: This certainly was quite the pasting, especially when you take into account that Djokovic won the first Grand Slam of the year as well as Miami. Personal issues (the death of a beloved grandfather) were said to play a part in Djokovic’s lackluster performance.

Rome, Nadal d. Djokovic, 7-5, 6-3: It was a better performance than Djokovic put forth in Monte Carlo, but once again, he failed to win a set. One thing seemed certain: Djokovic was not destined to dominate as comprehensively as he had in 2011.

French Open, Nadal d. Djokovic, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5: This was a tedious but bitter war on red clay, marred by interruptions of rain. Nadal seemed much more willing to get down in dirty on his beloved terre battue. When he won, Rafa hit the reset button on their rivalry.

Cincinnati, Roger Federer d. Djokovic, 6-0, 7-6 (7): A few weeks earlier, Federer had pulled off the upset of top-ranked Djokovic in the Wimbledon semis. Federer regained the No. 1 ranking shortly after that win, and the way he handled Nole in this one makes you wonder what the Mighty Fed was thinking: “Gee, Rafa was right—this is kind of fun!”

U.S. Open, Murray d. Djokovic, 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2: You can analyze this one any way you want, but the simplest and perhaps most accurate assessment is this: Murray’s time had finally come.

12 for '12: Year-End Awards

**- Wednesday, November 28: Coaches of the Year

- Thursday, November 29: Doubles Performances of the Year  

- Friday, November 30: Tournaments of the Year  

- Saturday, December 1: Upsets of the Year  

- Sunday, December 2: Quotes of the Year  

- Monday, December 3: Feuds of the Year  

- Tuesday, December 4: Newcomers of the Year  

- Wednesday, December 5: Most Improved Players  

- Thursday, December 6: Biggest Disappointments  

- Friday, December 7: Comebacks of the Year  

- Saturday, December 8: Runner-Ups of the Year  

- Sunday, December 9: Stories of the Year**

**Player of the Year, Men: Novak Djokovic

Player of the Year, Women: Serena Williams**