Jelena Jankovic

For the first time in the history of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, a world No.1 stepped away from the sport she ruled in 2008. But there was no shortage of pretenders to the tennis throne, in a season that saw a handful of teens establish themselves as serious contenders, and mid-career surges by a clutch of more established players. There was plenty of action off court as well, including a marketing push of heroic proportions and happy news from some of the Tour's best-loved retired stars.
 
JANUARY
 

Fans of world No.1 Jelena Jankovic in Belgrade had the opportunity to take an in-depth look into her life on and off the court last week when the feature documentary Jelena's World opened in the Serbian capital.
 
Following Jankovic over a 14-month period, the film shows the demanding, glamorous and exciting elements of Jankovic's life,traveling to tournaments in Madrid and Berlin, while striking a balance with her life at home in Belgrade. Jankovic was in attendance at the film's premiere on November 12 at the Roda Cineplex in Belgrade.

Serena and Venus Williams became the highest-earning female tennis players in 2008, according to the Women’s Tennis Association.
 

Serena made $3.852 million during the season, whereas Venus earned a little less – $3.747 million.
 
In 2008, Serena Williams won tennis tournaments in Bangalore, Miami, Charleston, as well as the US Open. Venus became the champion of Wimbledon, the tournament in Zurich and the WTA Tournament.

Four of the world’s top women tennis players, including 2008 major Champions Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic, along with World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic will face off in a one-night only single elimination event which will also celebrate tennis legend Billie Jean King. The “BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup” is scheduled for Monday, March 2 at Madison Square Garden and will be telecast live on HBO beginning at 7:30 p.m. E.T.

Jelena Jankovic has achieved her dream of being the world's top tennis player after she almost quit the sport in 2006 following a run of poor results and niggling injuries.
 
The Serbian knows, though, that she still has plenty to play for after finishing the 2008 season as the world number one but without a grand slam title to her name.
 

The triumph of two Serbs at the Shanghai Masters over the weekend, two players on top of global rankings and another two with the throne in sight at the close of the tennis season drove Belgrade newspapers deeper into euphoria on Monday.
 
'Shanghai fairy tale,' 'Serbia's pride,' 'Serbian Shanghai,' and 'Best in the world' are some of the headlines in the newspapers, many of which allowed tennis to dominate front-pages instead of the usual, often grim political stories.
 

Novak Djokovic is trying his best to complete Serbia’s ascension to the top of the tennis world.

Jelena Jankovic, who won the U.S. Open, already is No. 1 on the women’s side, a spot that compatriot Ana Ivanovic, the French Open winner, held earlier in the year before slipping to fifth.

Nenad Zimonjic became the top doubles player when he and Canada’s Daniel Nestor teamed to beat Bob and Mike Bryan for the Masters Cup doubles title Sunday and end the American twins’ four-year run atop the year-end rankings.

Life on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour can be grueling, but it's not all catching red-eye flights and racing to the courts. While traveling and competing around the world, players also get to experience the nightlife and local flavor that each city on the Tour has to offer. From the clubs of Miami to the beer halls of Germany, check out the highlights of the Tour's year of fabulous parties.
 
Wimbledon

The first documentary on tennis world number one Jelena Jankovic opened in Serbian cinemas on Friday, with producers hoping to distribute the film world-wide soon.
 
The 80-minute film "Jelena's World" follows Jankovic for the past 14 months during tournaments in Madrid and Berlin, as well as her frequent but brief visits to her hometown Belgrade.
 

The WTA Tour season came to a close Sunday when Venus Williams won the Tour Championships singles title, and $1.3 million U.S., before rather sparse crowds in Doha, Qatar.
 
There is still more tennis to be played; a number of smaller women's events on the ITF Circuit offering between $10,000 and $100,000 in total prize money will take place right through to the end of the year.
 
But the major leagues are taking a break. And with that, we offer up the annual Open Court Awards.