If you’re like me, you’ve already read a few best-of lists for tennis in 2005. If you’re like me, you also enjoy these kinds of things. So here’s one more before I take the next couple of weeks off. I’ll be back with a 2006 preview column on December 30. Believe it or not, that’s when the first tune-up for the Australian Open, the Hopman Cup, gets underway. In case you’re counting it down, the off-season, after one week, is a quarter of the way through.
Most Valuable Player—Men
Rafael Nadal
As the rankings show, he wasn’t the best. That honor goes to Roger Federer, who had another historic season. But Nadal was the most galvanizing presence in the game, and his rampage through the clay-court season was the most exciting time of 2005. His grit, flair, and expressive variety—by the end of the year, my favorite of his many fist-pumps were the ones he did downward, with both hands, while running off the court on a changeover—gave the game a jolt like no one since Boris Becker 20 years ago. Nadal also had a historic season, with 11 titles, four Masters titles (a record, with Federer), a 48-2 record on clay, and a French Open win in his first try.
Most Valuable Player—Women
Kim Clijsters
After the Australian Open, which ended with a hard-to-watch collapse by Lindsay Davenport, the women seemed to be at a low point—did anyone in the WTA want to win? Clijsters answered that question a little more than a month later in resounding fashion by coming back from injury to win at Indian Wells and Key Biscayne. She did the same thing at the U.S. Open. As every other woman was faltering, Clijsters rolled to her first major title with a mix of on-the-rise offense and daredevil defense. Even her celebration—she did a balance-beam act to reach her family in the stands at Ashe Stadium—was memorable.
Most Notable Debut—Men
Andrew Murray
At a time of cookie-cutter power baseliners, the 18-year-old Murray’s variety and thoughtfulness stood out. He doesn’t have a surefire weapon, but that only forces him to do everything well. He’s got a strong serve and forehand, and a versatile backhand. Best of all, he never forces the issue. That package took him to No. 84 in his first year on tour.
Most Notable Debut—Women
Sania Mirza
She’s not a rookie, exactly, but Mirza, the first Indian to win a WTA event and a huge star in her home country, appeared on the world stage for the first time at the U.S. Open. There she showed off that star quality, as well as a big ground game.
Most Notable Farewell
Todd Woodbridge
Maybe men’s doubles players have a point when they say their game is under-marketed. Did you know that the top men’s dubs winner of the Open era retired this year? In a 17-year career, Australia’s Woodbridge won 83 doubles titles (the most in men’s history), including 16 majors and a career Grand Slam.
Biggest Disappointment
Serena Williams
She won a Slam and spent a good part of the year injured. But that doesn’t explain her continued inability to compete seriously. Off the court, she won’t commit to being a full-time tennis pro; on the court, her losses come with excuses. When she’s on, she can beat anyone, but to play her best she needs to compete with everything she’s got. That means facing the fact that it’s possible for her opponents to play well enough to beat her.
Best Match
Rafael Nadal d. Guillermo Coria, Tennis Masters–Rome
There were higher-profile contests—Safin-Federer, Williams-Davenport, Agassi-Blake—but none better than this 5-hour, 14-minute war in Rome. Heavy topspin forehands gave way to delicate drop shots, which were countered by impossible sliding gets. Neither man could distance himself from the other. At 6-6 in the fifth, the players had to ask the umpire if they were supposed to play a tiebreaker. It’s a good thing he said yes, or they might still be battling at the Foro Italico today.
Best Shot
Marat Safin
After five sets, four and a half hours, and six match points in the Australian Open semifinals, it took a knockdown punch for Safin to beat Roger Federer. He got it by smoking a backhand up the line that sent the world No. 1 to his knees—and left an open court for the upset.
Great Performances
Elena Dementieva, Fed Cup Final
For a sunny fall weekend in Paris, Fed Cup mattered. The Russians defended their title in a topsy-turvy final against the French, and Dementieva, a three-match winner, was the unlikely rock of the team.
Ivan Ljubicic, Davis Cup first round
In one three-day swoop before a pro-U.S. audience, the Croat out-rallied Andre Agassi, helped bring down one of the best doubles teams in the world, the Bryan brothers, and wrested a fifth set away from Andy Roddick, who had beaten him five straight times. The rest of the Cup season seemed like a formality.
Venus Williams, Wimbledon
The former No. 1 reminded us how she once reached the top with a surprising and sustained fortnight of excellent tennis. As she had in the seemingly distant past, Williams simply refused to lose.
Roger Federer, Wimbledon final
I had thought Pete Sampras’ win over Andre Agassi in the 1999 final was a one-of-a-kind clinic in grass-court tennis. But Federer matched it with his all-court assault on Andy Roddick.
Rule That Most Needs to Be Changed
Injury Timeouts
When Mary Pierce settled in for a spa treatment during her U.S. Open semifinal against Elena Dementieva, the world got to see what fans had known for a long time: There are too many opportunities for breaks and timeouts in tennis matches. Whether this will lead to any changes is another matter.
Best Quote
“That’s what I call an eBay watch.”—Andre Agassi upon receiving a Raymond Weil timepiece after winning a tournament in Los Angeles. It was nice to see that, even as his charitable works have given him a sort of saint-like status in recent years, the smart-mouthed kid in Agassi survives.
Best Moment
Andre Agassi, U.S. Open quarterfinal
Agassi tapped his heels on the changeover and then jogged to take his place at the baseline. You knew right there that James Blake, who was serving for their U.S. Open quarterfinal, was doomed. For American fans, the sight of Agassi getting fired up in front of a post-midnight Ashe Stadium audience will be the lasting image of 2005.