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
Li matched countrywoman Zheng Jie’s semifinal run at the Australian Open with one of her own. She defeated Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams before falling, in two tiebreak sets, to Serena Williams in the final four.
Worst of 2010
Li entered the clay-court season on a four-match losing streak, including opening-round defeats at Indian Wells (to Elena Baltacha) and Miami (to Timea Bacsinszky).
Year in Review
It’s been said that it’s only a matter of time before Chinese men arrive—and win—in tennis’ upper ranks. The women have already done their part, none more so than Li. Besides her march to the semis in Melbourne, Li won the grass-court tournament in Birmingham, reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and made the semifinals of the Premier event in Beijing. Li took extensive breaks in July and September but played seemingly every other week, which accounts for some of her early-round exits. But she more than made up for them with reliable results at many big tournaments. For the fifth year in a row, Li finished inside the Top 30.
See for Yourself
The third set wasn’t pretty, but Li got the job done against Venus in the Aussie quarters:
The Last Word
Although this is her highest career year-end ranking, the 28-year-old’s best is likely still to come. Li is a big-match player and isn’t intimidated by her competition. Considering the amount of mental fragility that clouds the WTA's top tier, that’s a big advantage, Li.
—Ed McGrogan