With the season drawing to a close, it's time to look back upon the tennis year and reflect. How good a year was it? Well, for five people in particular it was a very good year - most notably Justine Henin and Roger Federer, who between them took home five Grand Slams.

It also wasn't half bad for the Williams sisters, whom we saw dominate both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Also a certain Mr Nadal proved to be the King of Clay for a third consecutive year, with another great victory in Paris.

But while the above players dominated the Grand Slams, it was also a good year for players such as Fernando Gonzalez, who reached his first Grand Slam final in Australia, although his year has seemed to deteriorate since then.

'For five people in particular it was a very good year - most notably Justine Henin and Roger Federer, who between them took home five Grand Slams'


Other impressive moves on the men's tour came from young Novak Djokovic, who also made his Grand Slam final debut in New York. That's not to mention his semi-final appearances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. However, his most impressive victory came at the Canada Masters, where he defeated Rafa in the semis and Fed in the finals.

On the women's side we saw Grand Slam final debutantes Ana Ivanovic in Paris, and most shockingly Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon. Svetlana Kuznetsova also returned to the GS final scene when she lost to Henin at Flushing Meadows.

But while there is a rise, there is also a fall. Maria Sharapova started the year fabulously by making the finals of the Australian Open at the beginning of the year. Her devastating defeat to Serena Williams in the final, together with a string of recurring injuries, resulted in early-round exits at both Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. Despite winning two Grand Slams last year, the momentum was not with Amelie Mauresmo this year, either.

So how does this year fare in comparison to 2006? On the women's side, its great to see Justine playing so well, and also brilliant to see the Williams sisters back into the top 10. Even with the newer players making the rise, Sharapova and Mauresmo's absence is sorely missed.

The men's side hasn't changed much since last year. We are still waiting for Rafa to fully break through on the other surfaces are really tackle Federer on the other surfaces.

All in all it was a good year; next year we look forward to maybe the likes of Ivanovic, Jankovic and Djokovic taking the next leap and challenging their predecessors in the majors. Also we can look forward to the returns of Sharapova and Mauresmo to really shake things up in the women's game.

Who will be the new tennis hero or heroine of 2008? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.