So, we come to the end of yet another year (well Davis Cup final aside) so I thought it might be good if people could look back on the year and pick some of the highs and lows of the tennis year, whether on or off the court.

Some of the highs for me:

the Murray vs. Nadal match at the AO - i don't think i've ever been quite so glued to a tennis match in my life. I was so impressed by Murray's performance that day and the two of them truly gave us a match to remember.

Gasquet's match against Roddick at Wimbledon - I'd never quite believed the hype about Gasquet until that day. Some of his shots were just amazing and the comeback was astounding. Well done to Gasquet - I joined the ranks of his (rather frustrated) fans that day.

Federer winning his 5th Wimbledon with Borg watching - 'nuff said.

Jamie Murray and Jelena Jankovic winning the mixed doubles at Wimbledon - it was truly wonderful to see the pair having fun and enjoying themselves throughout the whole tournament.


The lows:

the rain and stupid scheduling at Wimbledon :angry: I mean, it was a bad summer, but they made it worse.

the ATP - nuff said again? Their behaviour over the match-fixing just beggars belief really.

for me, Safin......sheesh, the man chooses to climb a mountain instead of playing tennis??? Just not a very successful year for him - i hope he returns nexst year with his head back in the game :(

The Highs

The Australian Open was the best part of the year for me. Federer still had his winning streak intact he was playing probably his best tennis ever and won in straight sets mauling Roddick in one of the best performances ever in the semi's.

Serena also made her comeback fighting and finally destroyed Sharapova in another performance that can be rated as one of the best ever.

Wimbledon was also great for me. Federer was pushed the furthest yet in a GrandSlam final which was nervewrecking but thrilling in the end. Then as DJ said he talked to Borg and history was made.

Venus also proved her place in history with her 4th Wimbledon playing pretty much flawless tennis and great serving from 4th round onwards.

Federer beating Nadal at TMC and finally performing to perhaps his full potential was quite good as well to give him a psychological advantage.

The Lows

The lows for me have been Serena's injuries, her losses to Henin in 3 straight QF (credit to Henin), Venus Anaemia, Federer's sometimes below par form (though I can't complain).

After Wimbledon it hasn't been that good for me with the exception of the Fed/Rafa match.

Great post idea DJ :ok:

Here's my thoughts.............

Highs

The absolutely breathtaking resurgence of Serena at the Australian open, especially in the final. Probably the best single match performance i've ever seen :bow:

Equally for me, Venus's Wimby title was so special :D :yahoo: Showed the mark of a true champion by scraping through 2 tough early encounters and then putting in such dominating performances to win her 4th title and establish herself as the grass-court player of the 21st century :bow:

Nadal winning his third consecutive RG crown, thus continuing his clay-court legacy.

The Roddick/Gasquet Wimby encounter had such rich quality that i hadnt seen for such a long time, since the epic Federer/Safin clash of 2005 at the Aussie Open. Gasquet in particulary produced shots that i dont even think Federer could've envisaged :dohh:

Djokovic's stunning year. IW final, won Miami, and of course the US Open final. Has been the player to watch this year for his superb tennis and his hillarious impressions roflmao

Lindsay 'The Queen' Davenport's return after giving birth to her son :D :hug: Two titles, and several top 10 wins show she'll still be a force in 2008 :yahoo:

Kim Clijsters retiring :yahoo: :clap:

Lows

The scheduling at Wimby sucked. Wimbledon was completed in a hury rather than a flourish :angry:

The continual decline of Safin. At the end of '06, i thought 2007 could've been a great year, but alas no :rolleyes: :( Only one semi-final all year is nothing to show for such an enormous talent :shrug:

Mauresmo's lousy year. Looked lethargic, nervy and injured all the way through 2007. Shows how bad her year was when you see her ranked now as the French number 3.............

Hingis leaving the game under a cloud. Innocent as she may be, it was a crappy way to go.

The maltreatment of Davydenko has been scandalous. The man has said he's been in tears over this. The ATP have a lot to answer for :angry: :moody:

HIGHS

Serena's complete demolition of The Chea...Maria at the Oz Open :D :yahoo: :clap:

Jelena Jankovic finally winning some big titles and getting her first Slam title at Wimbledon :yahoo:

Players beginning to challenge Fed in particular Nadal at Wimbledon, Djokovic, Canas and Nalbandian :)

Lindsay Davenport returning to the tour and doing so well... :D :clap:

LOWS

Serena's appalling press conferences after the French and US Open quarter finals :angry: :blah: :bs:

Match fixing :(

Martina retiring :( :hug:

Highs

No I won't pick Fed's AO.....as it was too expected. Not much thrill except his nice demolition of Roddick.

Gasquet - Roddick Wimbledon Semi, again with a bitter taste as only when Gasquet had accepted defeat did he try to play his game.

Federer winning Wimbledon's final while not playing his best tennis.

Bartoli Wimbledon adventure.

Fed beating Djoko in the USO final after being 40-0 down and 3 set points in the first set (exactly the opposite of what had happened in Montreal)!!!

Nalbandian finally proving he is the real top 2 player. Winning 2 TMS in a row has nothing to do with luck!

And Finally Fed winning the Master playing like he did in 2005 and 2006!!!


LOWS

Federer missing 10 BPs in the first set of the FO final. Winning the first set coul dhave changed a lot of things.

Fed's losing his FH for most of the year. Painful to watch i thought.

Gasquet so predictable in his unconsistency. Managing top 8 despite having injuries or withdrawal in key tournament like Cincy and the USO is a good effort but on some other occasions like the FO....simply unforgivable.

Nadal being injured at the very beginning (AO) and now we learn for most of the year. Sad.

Finally, I would like the williams to be back to their best...

Highs

Serena's incredible victory in Australia, following it up with the tremendous win in Miami over Henin.

Venus' return from injury and winning her fourth Wimbledon title.

Ana Ivanovic's breakthrough at the French Open, Djokovic's at the US Open and before.

Nadal and Federer at the French and then, more spectacularly, at Wimbledon.

Marion Bartoli's amazing fairytale run to the Wimbledon Final.

Henin's great form thoughout 2007.

Lows

Serena's continuing injury problems and occasionally looking like a bit of a sore loser.

One-sided grand slam finals that were a bit of a bore, men's Australia, women's French and US Open.

Venus's anaemia issues.

lop-sided tournament / grand slam draws - really deprived us of some great possible finals.

Highs

Ivanovic's rise. :wub:
Djokovic emerging as an almost credible contender to rival Fed & Nadal.
Gasquet reaching a Slam SF and making Shanghai.
Nalbandian's end of season return to form.
Ljubicic and Robredo out the top 10.
Henin showing there's more to women's tennis than the WS.


Lows

Ivanovic's performances in her Slam losses.
Djokovic & Gonzalez's pathetic chokejobs in their Slam finals.
Gasquet... despite his achievements, it's unlikely anything's changed.
ATP turning Davydenko into a martyr when they should have been stopping match fixing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voV4By6MODU

HIGHS

Elena Dementieva winning Moscow (it has been a long time coming)

Justine's wins over the Williams' at the US Open

Gasquet's ( :wub: ) defeat of Roddick at Wimbledon

Linds' return

LOWS

Kolya Davydenko's treatment by the press and the ATP

Nastya Myskina's injury woes

Momo's drop in form

Martina's retirement

Highs

* Nadal – Davydenko; Rome
Best clay match of the year and possibly best overall too

* 6th game final set Wimbledon final. Nadal destined to win 'till Roger “decided” to play his best tennis for a few minutes; game over

* Youzhny – Djokovic; Rotterdam
Smaller tourney, classic match. Mika saving 3 matchpoints before clinching it 7-5 in the third

* Nalby’s masterclass “hitting early”; Madrid/Paris

* Federer playing without fear against Nadal; Shanghai

Lows

* RG final; the match was over way before the last point was played

* Djoko – Moya (Cincinnati) and Djoko – Santoro (Paris). Shame on the Djoker

* Exhibition matches, specially the battle of the surfaces

* Donkey’s crucifiction