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
Andy Murray has a history of losses to offensive-minded hard-hitters at the Slams, and his latest shortcoming came against Wawrinka at the U.S. Open. Wait, Wawrinka? Yup. The Swiss came out of his shell and came out firing in a four-set win over the favored Scot, and would go on to reach the quarters.
Worst of 2010
There wasn’t much to fault Wawrinka for on tour. But in a Davis Cup World Group Play-off, Wawrinka faltered in Kazakhstan, losing his singles rubber to Mikhail Kukushkin (whom Wawrinka trounced at the U.S. Open weeks earlier) and his doubles match with Yves Allegro. The 5-0 whitewash banished Switzerland outside the World Group for 2011.
Year in Review
He’ll never make us forget about his more celebrated countryman, but Wawrinka has won fans of his own the last few years. He’s a threat on both fast and slow surfaces, and his mid-season hire of Peter Lundgren gives further reason for optimism. “When I asked what he wanted help with,” said Lundgren, “He said he wants to return to the Top 10. It's what you want to hear as a coach. I'm going to try to get Stan to become more aggressive.” At the U.S. Open, we saw the results. A full off-season with Lundgren, who has helped guide Marcelo Rios, Roger Federer and Marat Safin in the past, should bear more fruit.
See for Yourself
Wawrinka’s no-look backhand was SportsCenter-worthy, but his entire body of work against Murray was even impressive:
The Last Word
Of the players in the year-end Top 25, Wawrinka is one I feel quite confident in improving his ranking next season. He had a brief spell in the Top 10 in 2008, and while repeating that may be a tough ask, he should only benefit from the tutelage of Lundgren and his semi-breakthrough at Flushing Meadows.
—Ed McGrogan