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
It’s a measure of how tough life has been for the injury-plagued Sharapova that she didn’t win even win the tournament where she played best. In Cincinnati, she lost to Kim Clijsters in the final, but beat a strong string of opponents beforehand, including Svetlana Kuznetsova and Agnieszka Radwanska.
Worst of 2010
A first round flame-out at a major is doubly painful for someone who’s won Grand Slam events, so Sharapova’s loss to Maria Kirilenko in the opening round of the Aussie Open is an unquestionable lowlight.
Year in Review
Due partly to her continued struggle with injuries, Sharapova’s year constitutes a graph full of peaks and valleys. After the humiliation in Melbourne, she bounced back and won Memphis, but did nothing at Indian Wells and Miami. Then, she won Strasbourg—on clay, no less. She had a good grass-court season, but had the misfortune of running into Serena Williams in the fourth round of at Wimbledon. After an encouraging hard-court summer, she won just one match in the fall Asian swing.
See for Yourself
Say what you will about Sharapova’s bread-and-butter power game; she’s one of the few women with the firepower—and attitude—to go head-to-head with Serena Williams:
The Last Word
We all know what Sharapova is capable of doing, so her injury problems (mainly, her right shoulder) go a long way in explaining her fall from the top. But her straight-forward style and desire to play short rallies, sealed with a winner or an error by her opponent, is not as effective as it was even five or six years ago. She has her work cut out, but her attitude has always been terrific. If she can get and stay healthy, she could elbow her way back into the Top 5 on determination and courage alone.
—Peter Bodo