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 all started so well for Wickmayer. She won the title in New Zealand and then played a very good match with Justine Henin in the fourth round of the Aussie Open before losing in three sets.
Worst of 2010
She had a decent U.S. Open, where she lost in the round of 16. But it was the way she lost to Kaia Kanepi in that round—after winning the first set 6-0—that hurt.
Year in Review
A season that began with such promise ended with a string of four straight defeats. Wickmayer didn’t win a match after the U.S. Open. She’s not that bad, but neither is she quite as good as she was at the start of the season. Wickmayer hit her ceiling in the middle rounds of the majors in 2010.
See for Yourself
Not a match Wickmayer wants to remember:
The Last Word
The suspicion is that Wickmayer’s performances through the broad middle part of the season, when she was losing midway through tournaments, is going to be her level. She’s a good athlete and never gives anything less than her best, but she is error-prone. Her intensity can also boil over into self-defeating anger.
—Steve Tignor