We should start by saying that she was hobbled by a back injury. But whatever her physical struggles, it was an undeniably disappointing season for the 24-year-old Russian, who dropped from her No. 1 perch in 2009 to below the Top 50 one year later. Granted, there would have been much less scrutiny of Safina this season if she hadn’t had the bad luck of being thrust into that No. 1 ranking the previous year. (The best player in the world, Serena Williams, didn’t enter enough tournaments to earn it.) For much of 2009, Safina, who has never won a major and who spent the early part of her career laboring outside the Top 10, was dogged by questions of whether she was a “real No. 1.” The criticism took its toll, and by the start of this season, the back injury she aggravated in Australia almost looked like a blessing in disguise, allowing her to escape the whole debate. But while few thought of Safina as the world’s best, few believe she belongs outside the Top 50, either. In the end, no player could have been more disappointed with her 2010 than Safina herself.
Originally published in the November/December 2010 issue of TENNIS.
2010 Aces & Faults
—Sock Hopping: Sock goes from high school to pros
—After the Hype, Miller Doesn't Bode Well: Skier tries tennis, again
—Booted: The story of Serena's injured foot
—Match of the Year: The Isner-Mahut Wimbledon epic
—Unwelcome Milestones: American mens' struggles
—Gone...And Back Again: Querrey's quick turnaround
—Swimming the Channel: Rafa does the clay-grass double
—Biggest Disappointment: Dinara Safina
—All in a Day's Work: Blake's beef with Shriver
—Coach of the Year: Hernan Gumy
—Seizing the Clay: Schiavone's unlikely title run
—Struck Out: Soderling ends Federer's semifinal streak
—Comeback, Interrupted: Henin's return cut short
—Wayne's Shame: Odesnik caught with HGH
—Dee Worst, Judge Says: The world's worst player
—Most Improved: Sam Stosur
—Player of the Year: Rafael Nadal
—Newcomer of the Year: Larry Ellison