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
Venus’ biggest title came in Dubai, and she beat a very solid player in the final, Victoria Azarenka, to do it.
Worst of 2010
She reached the final in Key Biscayne, a nice result, but there she was battered 6-2, 6-1 by Kim Clijsters. You don’t see Venus lose finals, or matches, that decisively very often.
Year in Review
As with her sister, we didn’t get to see a whole lot of Venus in 2010. She played just nine events before having knee surgery at the end of the season. More than a decade into her career, she remains very consistent—her record was 37-7—but is gradually becoming less of a threat at the majors. Up a set in the U.S. Open semifinals against Kim Clijsters, she blew a golden opportunity to hoist her third trophy there. You could tell that it hurt.
See for Yourself
Here’s Venus in her most anguished moments of the season, getting outplayed by Clijsters at the end of their Open semi:
The Last Word
Venus has hit 30 and just underwent knee surgery. With a lesser athlete, you might be tempted to write her off completely. But even at this stage, she’s still a class above most of the WTA. Still, she ceded her last Grand Slam kingdom, at Wimbledon, and it seems unlikely she’ll ever get it, or any other of the major, back. If things continue in that direction, how long with this former champ want to hang around?
—Steve Tignor