Starting on December 7—the 25th day left in 2010—TENNIS.com will countdown from the year-end No. 25 on both tours with "The Last Word," a look back at the year that was and a look ahead at the season to come. Here's who we've looked at so far.
Best of 2010
The Frenchman was brilliant at the Paris Masters, the final regular-season tournament. After beating John Isner in the second round, Llodra shocked Novak Djokovic in straight sets and defeated Nikolay Davydenko to reach the semifinals. Llodra’s inspired run ended against Robin Soderling, who won 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 (6) after the serve-and-volleyer missed on three match points.
Worst of 2010
Llodra came into 2010 ranked No. 67 and slid from there. The lefty dropped four of his first five matches.
Year in Review
Known primarily for his play in doubles, Llodra made an imprint on the singles circuit this season. The 11-year-veteran won two titles (Marseille and Eastbourne) and ascended higher than No. 30 in the singles rankings for the first time. Llodra can attribute much of his success to his exceptional lefty serve, which routinely frustrates players. The Frenchman gobbles up weak returns with his serve-and-volley tactics, another wrinkle of his game that can trouble his opponents (which are mostly power baseliners). This uncommon but effective approach catapulted Llodra 44 spots in the rankings from the start of the season.
See for Yourself
Llodra’s serve-and-volley game was firing on all cylinders against Djokovic in Paris, to the delight of the hometown crowd.
The Last Word
Facts are facts: Llodra will be 31 next season, doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard and has an unconventional style of play. So this was all a fluke, right? Wrong. He’s figured out how to win consistently, and although the Top 10 seems too high a mountain to climb, the Frenchman will continue to impress in 2011.
—Brad Kallet