Roger Federer

 Fourth-seeded Andy Roddick moved into the second round of the Qatar Open with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ivan Navarro of Spain on Monday.

Roger Federer has been experimenting with new tactics that he hopes will enable him to fulfil his 2009 goals of regaining the world number one ranking and equalling Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles.

The Swiss was ousted from the top of the rankings by Rafael Nadal last August and his aura of invincibility was broken by defeat in the Wimbledon final before he silenced his doubters with victory in the U.S. Open -- his 13th grand slam crown.

 Former world number one Roger Federer produced some magical moments, but that wasn't enough to prevent a fourth loss in his last five matches to the fast-improving Andy Murray here on Friday.

In the semi-finals of the Capitala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition shootout being played at the Zayed Sports City tennis stadium, Scotsman Murray prevailed in three sets 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).

You might not believe in New Year's resolutions, and probably for good reason. Chances are, if you've ever made any, you've also broken more than a few. But when you take away the special name, they're really just goals, and we're always supposed to set goals for ourselves, right? With that in mind, here are a few goals -- or resolutions, if you will -- for 2009 for those of us in the world of tennis, whether we're players, coaches, fans or members of the ever-excitable media.

Only one player won more than one major title in 2008, and it wasn’t Roger Federer.

That alone made 2008 a year to remember in tennis. Federer and Rafael Nadal and maybe Novak Djokovic are poised for a spirited battle over the men’s No. 1 ranking in 2009. On the women’s side, the top spot has been a revolving door, and nobody seems likely to emerge in the next year to slam it shut.

'Tis the season for early Oscar predictions. But we think those movie critics have a soft job, since they get advance screenings of potential candidates. Who could have scripted the 2008 Wimbledon men's final or foreseen the scramble in the women's rankings? Nonetheless, we'll plunge ahead, figuratively blindfolded, and offer our nominees for tennis' top 10 storylines of 2009:

Tennis season 2008 was a real roller coaster with what twists and turns. There was never a lull in the house with constant surprises and unexpected results. So since the year is officially going to end on the 31st which is just three days away, I decided to write about some of the finer encounters of this year. 13 to be precise.

Professional tennis players are about more than serves, backhands and forehands – there's also their style, movement and the way they carry themselves on court, and their off-court presence and personality.

Here's an overview of the best looks in tennis in 2008. For the purposes of this ranking, looks are viewed as an overall combination of appearance, personality and style, and fashion sense.

MEN

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:

Who says there's no trash-talking in tennis? Here are the highlights from a season with plenty of verbal sparring:

Fighting words

1. "I've got to feel good, he's got about 16 injuries right now … back and hip … cramp … bird flu … anthrax, SARS."
-- Andy Roddick, adding insult to Novak Djokovic's injuries before their quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open.

2. "Andy was saying I have 16 injuries last match, so obviously I don't, right?"