Best Performance of '08

Hello everyone, welcome to the last post before the new year.

The Australian is about 2 weeks away, it seems like the off-season flew by.  I can't wait to have tennis scores to check daily again.

Now for the final post of  "Tiebreak's '08"

The Best Performance in '08.

To be honest, this one is a no-brainer.  I think anyone who watched a minute of tennis this year knows that Rafael Nadal put together one of the great years in tennis history.  1 Gold Medal, his fourth straight French Open, his amazing first Wimbledon title, few Masters Series titles along the way...oh yea and he took over the 1 ranking from arguably the greatest player of all time.  He took the step this year to the next level of tennis.  

For the most part Rafa has been in the shadow of Roger Federer...until this year.  He stole Roger's thunder this year and proved that he is a lot more than a beefy grinder from Spain who can't lose on clay.  

Now for the hard part.  As amazing as his year was, just think what it's going to take to keep his No. 1 ranking.  His results at the Slams last year were Semi, Win, Win, Semi.  Rafa has no room to breathe next year, and Federer will be as hungry as ever trying to regain that spot.  It should make for some great drama during the tennis season, but the most important thing is that he stays healthy. 

Congratulations to Rafa on his incredible '08, and good luck to him next year.

Until then, I hope you all enjoy the last few weeks of your off-season.

Have a safe and happy new year.