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
After losing in the semifinals of Dubai, Radwanska remained hot and played lights-out tennis in Indian Wells. The Pole swept Gisela Dulko, Marion Bartoli and Elena Dementieva before falling to Caroline Wozniacki in the semis.
Worst of 2010
The 21-year-old ended the season in nightmarish fashion. Coming into the U.S. Open ranked No. 10, Radwanska lost in the second round, then retired in Tokyo with foot pain. She added insult to injury by falling to Angelique Kerber in the first round of Beijing, her final tournament. She’ll miss the Australian Open due to foot surgery.
Year in Review
Radwanska further solidified her status in the upper crust of the WTA this season. The six-year pro finished No. 10 each of the last two seasons, and her Top 15 finish in 2010 proves that her somewhat power-less game has staying power. Her precision rivals any player’s on tour. With that in mind, Radwanska failed to win a title for the second consecutive year. She performed admirably in numerous high-level events—reaching the semis in Dubai, Stanford and Indian Wells; a final appearance in San Diego—but ultimately lost each time. And she failed to back up her ranking at Grand Slams, with her best showing a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon.
See for Yourself
Radwanska was on fire in the first set of the Stanford semifinals against Maria Sharapova, but flamed out and won just four more games the rest of the way. Still, it took a ten-minute game and five match points for Sharapova to close out her opponent.
The Last Word
Radwanska has cemented herself in the Top 15, but her lack of offense is exposed by the more explosive—and higher-ranked—players on tour. The No. 7 or No. 8 ranking seems like her ceiling.
—Brad Kallet