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FEDERER STILL THE TOP DOG
From Nadal's knees to Safin's swansong, the 2009 ATP season was packed full of drama and talking points.
While Roger Federer continued to smash records throughout the season, there were also plenty of new faces who announced themselves as major contenders for years to come.
The Swiss rolled past Pete Sampras' record 14 Grand Slam title haul, while Andy Murray's wait for a major title continues into 2010.
Two big names also bowed out of the professional tennis arena - Marat Safin and Fabrice Santoro both making emotional exits from the sport.
2009 started as 2008 ended, world number one Rafael Nadal maintaining his fine record against Federer, but this time on the hardcourts in Melbourne.
In what was a contender for match of the year, the Spaniard edged a marathon five-set Australian Open final to win his sixth Grand Slam and first on the surface.
British number one Murray started the year promisingly with a fourth-round run Down Under, the Scot falling to another major player during the 2009 season - Fernando Verdasco.
Nadal continued his blistering start to the campaign in Indian Wells with a comprehensive victory over Murray in the final. The victory for the Mallorcan was sweet revenge after the Scot had prevailed in their last meeting in the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
Fellow top-10 players Andy Roddick (Memphis), Novak Djokovic (Dubai) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Marseille) also tasted silverware in the early stages of what was shaping up to be another hugely-competitive season.
Murray bounced back from his Indian Wells disappointment in some style to clinch his 11th ATP Tour title in Miami. The Scot flew in to Florida and saw off Verdasco, Juan Martin Del Potro and Djokovic en route to glory.
The claycourt season got into full swing in Monte Carlo and unsurprisingly a certain Spaniard found this period especially fruitful. Nadal claimed consecutive titles in Monte Carlo - his fifth on the spin - Barcelona and Rome.
After fighting off a niggling back injury, Federer ended Nadal's dominance in Madrid to claim his first title of 2009. This victory sparked a run of 21 consecutive wins for the Swiss.
The 2009 French Open got under way at Roland Garros on May 24 - Nadal heavy favourite to reign for a fifth successive year. However, a mixture of Robin Soderling and severe knee tendinitis was to prove his undoing in round four.
The Spaniard's loss was Federer's gain as he made history with victory over Soderling as he became just the sixth man in history to complete a career Grand Slam. The title was also a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam, putting him level with American legend Sampras.
Soderling's run was to mark a breakthrough season for the Swede, who went on to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals. Murray also caught the eye in Paris, progressing to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time.
And the Scot maintained his impressive form as the players made the switch to grass ahead of Wimbledon. Murray became the first British winner at Queen's since 1938 when he defeated James Blake in the final.
Naturally that saw 'Murray Mania' reach fever pitch ahead of Wimbledon, however there was one notable absentee from the famous event. Champion Nadal was unable to defend the title he won so spectacularly in 2008 due to his knee problems.
With all eyes on Federer as he attempted to become the most successful player in tennis history, local hope Murray also carried the expectations of the nation on his shoulders as he progressed to the semi-finals.
But grasscourt supremo Roddick proved too strong for the Scot - A-Rod edging a tight four-set battle to set up a final with Federer. And, in a final that matched the drama of the previous year, Federer made history with an epic 5-7 7-6 (8/6) 7-6 (7/5) 3-6 16-14 victory in 256 memorable minutes.
Federer's winning run came to an end in Montreal, Murray warming up for his favoured US Open in style with Rogers Cup glory. But it was a victory the week before for powerful Argentine Del Potro in Washington that was a sign of things to come in New York.
Talking of signs, Russia's Nikolay Davydenko, who had missed the opening four months of the season with a heel injury, was making up for lost time with a storming back end to the season. The diminutive right-hander claimed two titles in July, in Hamburg and Umag respectively, as he set off on a blistering charge towards the end-of-season showpiece in London.
The 2009 US Open will be forever remembered as the Grand Slam the 'Tandil Tower' Del Potro announced himself as a major force on the ATP Tour. He had shown flashes of his potential throughout the season but what unfolded in New York was quite sensational.
After powering his way through the first week, the 21-year-old dismantled the returning Nadal in the semi-finals with a brutal array of groundstrokes. His victory set up a final with Federer, and, despite falling two-sets-to-one down, Del Potro rallied to claim his first ever Grand Slam title.
Attention then switched to the Far East as players battled it out for much-needed ranking points. There was no stopping Davydenko at this point, the Russian prevailing at the Malaysia Open and Shanghai Masters.
Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic, Del Potro and Roddick already had their places at the O2 Arena assured, but a host of players travelled to the Paris Masters for the final qualifying event searching for points.
Davydenko, Verdasco and Soderling finished as the next highest ranked players, and all three lined up in London after a knee injury accounted for Roddick.
The Paris Masters also saw tour veterans Safin and Santoro bow out in emotional style.
The revamped O2 Arena played host to the ATP World Tour finals for the first of five scheduled years. Serbia's Djokovic came into the event as favourite having leapfrogged Murray as the world number three with storming victories in Beijing, Basel and Paris.
Murray was once again the star attraction in front of his home fans, however he failed to progress past the group stages in what was very much a tournament of shocks. 10/1 pre event outsider Davydenko capped a fine year with victory, seeing off Del Potro 6-3 6-4 in the final.
American doubles stars Bob and Mike Bryan were crowned doubles champions for a fifth time with victory over Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.
Player of the Year
Who else could it be but Roger Federer? Grand Slam glory at Roland Garros and then Wimbledon saw the Swiss superstar overtake Pete Sampras with 15 major titles. His victory in Paris also saw him become only the sixth player to win all four Grand Slams. Oh, and he even squeezed in the time to become a father halfway through.
Most Improved Player
Robin Soderling, far from a household name at the start of the season, reached a career-high ranking of ninth in the world in 2009, a year which ultimately resulted in his debut appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals.Comeback of the Year
A heel injury ruled Nikolay Davydenko out of the first four months of the 2009, however his comeback from injury was nothing short of sensational.
Davydenko stormed back on court to land five Tour titles, the last of which coming at the ATP Tour World Finals in London.
Performance of the Year
Andy Roddick's battling display at Wimbledon is certainly worth a mention, however Juan Martin Del Potro scoops this award for going one better and topping Federer in the final at Flushing Meadows. After a brutal demolition of Rafael Nadal in the semi-final, the Argentine silenced those who doubted his mental strength by fighting back from one set down to defeat the world number one in New York. Simply superb.
Lowlight of the Year
Another one of sport's great characters left the tennis arena in November when Marat Safin bowed out at the Paris Masters. The fiery Russian has provided us with some golden moments during his 12-year career - not least his extraordinary dismantling of Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open final. He will be missed.
:thum:
From Nadal's knees to Safin's swansong, the 2009 ATP season was packed full of drama and talking points.
While Roger Federer continued to smash records throughout the season, there were also plenty of new faces who announced themselves as major contenders for years to come.
The Swiss rolled past Pete Sampras' record 14 Grand Slam title haul, while Andy Murray's wait for a major title continues into 2010.
Two big names also bowed out of the professional tennis arena - Marat Safin and Fabrice Santoro both making emotional exits from the sport.
2009 started as 2008 ended, world number one Rafael Nadal maintaining his fine record against Federer, but this time on the hardcourts in Melbourne.
In what was a contender for match of the year, the Spaniard edged a marathon five-set Australian Open final to win his sixth Grand Slam and first on the surface.
British number one Murray started the year promisingly with a fourth-round run Down Under, the Scot falling to another major player during the 2009 season - Fernando Verdasco.
Nadal continued his blistering start to the campaign in Indian Wells with a comprehensive victory over Murray in the final. The victory for the Mallorcan was sweet revenge after the Scot had prevailed in their last meeting in the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.
Fellow top-10 players Andy Roddick (Memphis), Novak Djokovic (Dubai) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Marseille) also tasted silverware in the early stages of what was shaping up to be another hugely-competitive season.
Murray bounced back from his Indian Wells disappointment in some style to clinch his 11th ATP Tour title in Miami. The Scot flew in to Florida and saw off Verdasco, Juan Martin Del Potro and Djokovic en route to glory.
The claycourt season got into full swing in Monte Carlo and unsurprisingly a certain Spaniard found this period especially fruitful. Nadal claimed consecutive titles in Monte Carlo - his fifth on the spin - Barcelona and Rome.
After fighting off a niggling back injury, Federer ended Nadal's dominance in Madrid to claim his first title of 2009. This victory sparked a run of 21 consecutive wins for the Swiss.
The 2009 French Open got under way at Roland Garros on May 24 - Nadal heavy favourite to reign for a fifth successive year. However, a mixture of Robin Soderling and severe knee tendinitis was to prove his undoing in round four.
The Spaniard's loss was Federer's gain as he made history with victory over Soderling as he became just the sixth man in history to complete a career Grand Slam. The title was also a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam, putting him level with American legend Sampras.
Soderling's run was to mark a breakthrough season for the Swede, who went on to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals. Murray also caught the eye in Paris, progressing to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time.
And the Scot maintained his impressive form as the players made the switch to grass ahead of Wimbledon. Murray became the first British winner at Queen's since 1938 when he defeated James Blake in the final.
Naturally that saw 'Murray Mania' reach fever pitch ahead of Wimbledon, however there was one notable absentee from the famous event. Champion Nadal was unable to defend the title he won so spectacularly in 2008 due to his knee problems.
With all eyes on Federer as he attempted to become the most successful player in tennis history, local hope Murray also carried the expectations of the nation on his shoulders as he progressed to the semi-finals.
But grasscourt supremo Roddick proved too strong for the Scot - A-Rod edging a tight four-set battle to set up a final with Federer. And, in a final that matched the drama of the previous year, Federer made history with an epic 5-7 7-6 (8/6) 7-6 (7/5) 3-6 16-14 victory in 256 memorable minutes.
Federer's winning run came to an end in Montreal, Murray warming up for his favoured US Open in style with Rogers Cup glory. But it was a victory the week before for powerful Argentine Del Potro in Washington that was a sign of things to come in New York.
Talking of signs, Russia's Nikolay Davydenko, who had missed the opening four months of the season with a heel injury, was making up for lost time with a storming back end to the season. The diminutive right-hander claimed two titles in July, in Hamburg and Umag respectively, as he set off on a blistering charge towards the end-of-season showpiece in London.
The 2009 US Open will be forever remembered as the Grand Slam the 'Tandil Tower' Del Potro announced himself as a major force on the ATP Tour. He had shown flashes of his potential throughout the season but what unfolded in New York was quite sensational.
After powering his way through the first week, the 21-year-old dismantled the returning Nadal in the semi-finals with a brutal array of groundstrokes. His victory set up a final with Federer, and, despite falling two-sets-to-one down, Del Potro rallied to claim his first ever Grand Slam title.
Attention then switched to the Far East as players battled it out for much-needed ranking points. There was no stopping Davydenko at this point, the Russian prevailing at the Malaysia Open and Shanghai Masters.
Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic, Del Potro and Roddick already had their places at the O2 Arena assured, but a host of players travelled to the Paris Masters for the final qualifying event searching for points.
Davydenko, Verdasco and Soderling finished as the next highest ranked players, and all three lined up in London after a knee injury accounted for Roddick.
The Paris Masters also saw tour veterans Safin and Santoro bow out in emotional style.
The revamped O2 Arena played host to the ATP World Tour finals for the first of five scheduled years. Serbia's Djokovic came into the event as favourite having leapfrogged Murray as the world number three with storming victories in Beijing, Basel and Paris.
Murray was once again the star attraction in front of his home fans, however he failed to progress past the group stages in what was very much a tournament of shocks. 10/1 pre event outsider Davydenko capped a fine year with victory, seeing off Del Potro 6-3 6-4 in the final.
American doubles stars Bob and Mike Bryan were crowned doubles champions for a fifth time with victory over Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.
Player of the Year
Who else could it be but Roger Federer? Grand Slam glory at Roland Garros and then Wimbledon saw the Swiss superstar overtake Pete Sampras with 15 major titles. His victory in Paris also saw him become only the sixth player to win all four Grand Slams. Oh, and he even squeezed in the time to become a father halfway through.
Most Improved Player
Robin Soderling, far from a household name at the start of the season, reached a career-high ranking of ninth in the world in 2009, a year which ultimately resulted in his debut appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals.Comeback of the Year
A heel injury ruled Nikolay Davydenko out of the first four months of the 2009, however his comeback from injury was nothing short of sensational.
Davydenko stormed back on court to land five Tour titles, the last of which coming at the ATP Tour World Finals in London.
Performance of the Year
Andy Roddick's battling display at Wimbledon is certainly worth a mention, however Juan Martin Del Potro scoops this award for going one better and topping Federer in the final at Flushing Meadows. After a brutal demolition of Rafael Nadal in the semi-final, the Argentine silenced those who doubted his mental strength by fighting back from one set down to defeat the world number one in New York. Simply superb.
Lowlight of the Year
Another one of sport's great characters left the tennis arena in November when Marat Safin bowed out at the Paris Masters. The fiery Russian has provided us with some golden moments during his 12-year career - not least his extraordinary dismantling of Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open final. He will be missed.
:thum: