Justine Henin

Here are some of the other big moments from the year in tennis.

Graeme Mair takes a look back at the last 12 months on the WTA Tour

There was something for almost everyone in women's tennis during 2008 as the Grand Slams were shared between four different players.

Maria Sharapova started the year with an 18-match winning streak, including victory at the Australian Open, and looked capable of dominating.

But the remainder of Sharapova's season was blighted by a rotator cuff injury that eventually forced her to sit out the final five months.

Justine Henin's sudden departure from tennis disheartened tennis fans as deeply as her career dazzled our collective consciousness. But the loss of Henin's grit and ingenuity weren't the only downers of the past 12 months. Here are the top 10 disappointments of the 2008 tennis season:

Former world No.1 Justine Henin received triple honors this week at Belgium's Sports Gala, the country's most prestigious sporting occasion. The newly retired seven-time Grand Slam singles champion was honored in her home country with the lifetime achievement award at a ceremony on December 14 in Ostend, northern Belgium. The ceremony for Henin, who won 41 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles and over $19 million in prize money throughout her career, was highlighted with personal video messages from tennis legend Pete Sampras and her childhood hero, Stefan Edberg.

Justine Henin

"I'm here to announce that I'm definitively ending my tennis career." When Justine Henin calmly delivered that statement to an assembled press gathering at Limelette, Belgium, this May an earthquake went through the tennis world.

It was unheard of for a player to retire while still ranked No. 1 in the world, particularly an ambitious, driven 25-year-old who had reached the final in six of her last eight Grand Slams and won three of them.

Cynical tennis pundits tend to want to have their argument both ways. When a great player seizes the top spot and holds it for a long time, they write the tour is dull and uncompetitive. When there's a battle for the top spot over many months, they write the tour is confusing and lacks a legitimate No. 1.

Father, forgive them for they know not what they are reporting.

The sudden retirement of incumbent No. 1 Justine Henin left the WTA Tour in anarchy.
 
If you've ever played that game where you build a tower of wooden blocks, then withdraw them one at a time while trying to prevent the tower from toppling, you'll understand what Justine Henin's abrupt retirement in May did to the hierarchy of the women's game. It removed a structural beam, and the resulting pile was kind of a mess. If you like parity, variety and surprises, 2008 was your year. We review some of the highlights and head-scratchers below.
 

The tennis world had its share of intriguing stories during 2008.

Whether it was Rafael Nadal’s remarkable play, Roger Federer’s struggles, or the revolving door atop the WTA rankings, there was rarely a dull moment.

Expect more of the same when the new season begins in January. As we head toward the start of 2009 season, here are 10 questions to consider.

1. Can Rafael Nadal win a hardcourt major?

The second half of 2008 saw the competition for the No.1 ranking intensify, while several youngsters won their first titles and more established stars enjoyed golden form. In the end Serbia's Jelena Jankovic surged ahead as the most consistent queen of the courts, and there was also plenty of activity on the sidelines as the Tour prepared its revolutionary 2009 Roadmap calendar. 

 
JULY

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