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Not everyone had a year they’d like to remember in 2005. Let’s take a look back:

The Good

Kim Clijsters at last winning a Grand Slam singles title. Starting the year with a triple digits ranking, the Belgian played superbly on the hard courts, fought through tough losses in Paris and Wimbledon, and then reached the heights in New York with a career-making win over Venus Williams from a set and 4-2 down.

A year ago Rafael Nadal had just cracked the top 50. It is very difficult for the very best players to stay in the top 50, or even the top 20. Not only did Nadal rocket his way to number two, he won eleven titles along the way including the French Open on his first try. He brings a new level of athleticism and intensity to tennis that hasn't been seen before.

There is this guy from Switzerland, Roger Federer, that is pretty good. He has now won five Slams over the last two years. No man’s done that since Rod Laver in 68-69. Two more years like this and Federer’s right in hunt for being considered one of the greatest of all time.

Americans James Blake and Robby Ginepri stepped up, playing smart, patient tennis throughout the summer and posting great showings at the U.S. Open. Blake had a gutsy win over Nadal, and Ginepri became the first player to win three straight five-setters.

My college team-mate at Auburn, Stephen Huss told me at this years XL that he was thinking of retiring. He got into the doubles at Wimbledon (the only Slam with a doubles qualifying) and won Wimbledon with Wesley Moodie. They were the first players to win from the qualifying rounds. Steve capped of 2005 by making the year end Shanghai Masters Cup and ranked 20 in the world.

Venus Williams’ gutsy effort to win Wimbledon, 9-7 in the third set over Lindsay Davenport. It’s been 70 years since a player fought off a match point in the Wimbledon final and won.

The emergence of Andrew Murray as Great Britain’s next hope. He is scrappy and deceptive and has all the tools to be a top 10 player.

The Bad

Argentina’s brigade of performance enhancing drug users.

Marat Safin, and Serena Williams both started off the year well at the Australian Open. Injuries, indifference, inconsistency, and future uncertainty crept in soon after. Do these guys even like playing tennis?

The ATP doubles silliness. Most people in the world play more doubles than singles. The ATP are almost phasing out the doubles game because they can’t market it correctly. New rules are in place that are making it increasingly hard for specialists to make a living.[[In-content Ad]]

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