This widespread injury bug kept us from having a truly full-strength major event in 2008. Injuries are bound to happen over the course of a grueling year, of course, but let's hope for better health in 2009.

On the eleventh day of tennis, we ask...

What's the most important lesson from 2008? What did the year in tennis teach us? What lesson can we carry over into next year? Check out our responses and then teach us a lesson below.

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Pierce: The new generation is coming.

The past five years in Grand Slam tennis have been most predictable. Roger Federer has won the last five U.S. Opens, Rafael Nadal the last four French Opens, and the two have combined for all of the last six Wimbledon titles. The Australian Open is the only one they've shared with the public, and Federer has still won three of the last five of those.

But for the first time in those past five years, legitimate challengers are on the rise. Novak Djokovic is now a Grand Slam champion and still far from his peak. Andy Murray made his first Grand Slam final in New York. Juan Martin del Potro went on a second-half tear. Fresh faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon both cracked the year-end top 10.

Combine all that with a 27-year-old Federer and a Nadal who has yet to establish himself on hard courts and the lesson of 2008 is we could be headed for a year of parity in 2009.

And not just on the men's side. An unproven top-ranked player in Jelena Jankovic and the injuries suffered this year by other top players — like Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams — mean the women's field is wide open in 2009.

Webber: The Nadal Era has begun. We've been spoiled as tennis fans to witness the greatness of Roger Federer. 2009 should be the year in which Federer ties Pete Sampras' mark by capturing his 14th Grand Slam singles title. But 2008 marked the beginning of Rafael Nadal's reign as the new king of tennis.

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"New" might not be the most accurate description since Nadal had already established himself as one of the greatest clay-court players the sport has ever seen. But the way Rafa was able to demolish Federer again at the French Open and his scintillating Wimbledon win meant much more than the simple arithmetic that allowed Nadal to seize the top spot in the rankings.

Nadal has firmly established himself as the player to beat. If the Spaniard can avoid the late-season injuries that have slowed him down in recent years, the coming year could be even more impressive for Nadal than his sensational 2008 season.

Cronin: The single biggest lesson on the men's side is that players almost always peak by the age of 27 — witness Roger Federer's very good, but not great year (by his standards anyway) — and that it's a rare season to see any truly elite woman (such as the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova) go through an entire season without contending with troubling injuries.

On the tenth day of tennis, we ask...

What was the defining image of 2008? What's that one moment, that one expression, that one photo you'll never forget from the year in tennis? Check out our responses and then shoot us down with your own thoughts.

Cronin: With the light fading and the grass of Wimbledon ready to bed down for the night after an epic four-hour battle, Rafael Nadal won his first Grand Slam title off clay in arguably the greatest men's final ever in his phenomenal 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 victory over five-time defending champion Roger Federer.

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It took Nadal until dusk to stop the great Swiss, as he watched Federer come up with three rip-roaring winners on Nadal's first three match points. But at 7-7, the tireless Spaniard wore down his great rival, breaking him when Federer rushed a forehand approach shot long. Finally, Nadal seared a service winner and Federer cracked with a forehand error, his 65-match winning streak on grass stopped cold by the red-hot Spaniard.

Pierce: Tough to argue here. There were great moments throughout the year, but Nadal falling to the Centre Court grass in near darkness was tennis' magnum opus.

The stage, the circumstances, the match, the symbolic changing of the guard … it all adds up to one unforgettable image. It didn't matter to the UK that they had gone another year without one of their own in the final. It didn't matter to the U.S. that an American wasn't involved. The play was too good, the stakes too high for anyone to deny they were witnessing something they may never see again. This could end up being the defining image of the whole tennis generation.

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Webber: Rafael Nadal celebrates his Wimbledon victory over Roger Federer.

The Wimbledon singles final was arguably the greatest match of the Open Era. After five hours and a pair of rain delays, Nadal collapsed on the fabled grass court, overcome by emotion after the Spaniard was finally able to seize victory in the unforgettable match.

With camera flashbulbs popping as darkness descended upon the British capital, Nadal savored an epic win that solidified his standing as the top men's player in 2008. Nadal's celebration marked the end of an era at the All England Club. Federer was denied his sixth consecutive Wimbledon championship after heroically rallying from two sets down in the match.

Sometimes a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

On the ninth day of tennis, we ask...

What was the biggest gaffe of 2008? Tennis players are in the public eye all the time, and they can't always behave. Who had the most memorable lapse in judgment? Check out our responses and then pass judgment on us below. Ordinal out of range

Webber: Mikhail Youzhny takes on his racquet — and loses. Youzhny may have been auditioning for a new reality show "When Racquets Attack..." when he suffered a monumental meltdown in April at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

In a match against Nicolas Almagro, the Russian was so displeased by his level of play that he turned his racquet on himself. Youzhny smacked his forehead three times with the frame of his racquet, creating a bloody gash. As the blood poured down his face, Youzhny was left wearing a crimson mask creating a YouTube image that will live forever.

Perhaps the self-inflicted pain was the motivation Youzhny needed. He rallied from a 4-5 deficit to force a tiebreaker in the final set and win the match.

Cronin: After netting an easy backhand deep in the third set against Nicolas Almagro, Russia's Mikhail Youzhny violently smashed his head three times with his racket, drawing blood from his forehead that dripped down his face. The incident became an instant YouTube classic.

Pierce: Perhaps I'm (and certainly cracking one's own skull open with a racket is a tough one to top), but Novak Djokovic's anti-Andy Roddick tirade at the U.S. Open has to rank up there among the biggest gaffes.

After fighting off a hostile New York crowd — and to a lesser extent, Roddick himself — Djokovic used the post-match interview to bemoan his lack of support in the Big Apple and turn a defiant eye to the crowd that had fallen in love with him one year earlier.

"Well, I know (the crowd is) already against me because they think I'm faking (injuries)," Djokovic said during the live on-air interview while the crowd jeered.

The next big-time Djokovic night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium will be interesting, to say the least.

On the eighth day of tennis, we ask...

What was the second best Grand Slam match of 2008? We all know which was the best Grand Slam match of the year, but which match would've otherwise won that title? Check out our responses and then slam us below.

Pierce: Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic at the Australian Open.

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You might be hesitant to dub this third-round match way back in January the second best of the Slam season, but Tipsarevic and Federer put on a memorable show in Melbourne that rivals any other duel this year.

After dropping just six games total in his first two matches, Federer was still the virtually untouchable king of tennis when he rolled into this match. A few hours later, we had the first signs of the mortality he would show throughout the year.

Tipsarevic took a first-set tiebreak, lost one in the second set, won the third set 7-5 and — after Federer stepped on the throttle for an easy fourth-set win — pushed the Swiss to the absolute brink in a thrilling final set. Federer won it 10-8, needing a total of 34 games won to advance to the fourth round.

Another Serbian — Novak Djokovic — would beat Federer a few rounds later in the semis, but it was the epic match against Tipsarevic that foreshadowed Federer's down year.

Webber: Richard Gasquet vs. Andy Murray at Wimbledon.

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This fourth-round battle was essentially two matches in one in London. The Frenchman dictated the terms early using precise point construction to take the first two sets. Murray appeared to be on way his way out of the tournament, but dug deep and found the resolve to battle back. After the match, Murray would tell reporters "I had to keep fighting. He was completely outplaying me."

The pride of the U.K. asserted himself in the third set. Gasquet had a chance to serve out the match at 5-4, but Murray was able to break and went on to take the tiebreaker 7-3. As the marathon match progressed, Murray fed off the energy of the passionate Centre Court crowd.

Murray won in five sets, and although he lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, the victory over Gasquet foreshadowed the Scot's outstanding display at the U.S. Open later in the summer.

Cronin: For pure drama, guts and emotional angst, nothing topped Dinara Safina's 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-2 defeat of Maria Sharapova in the fourth round of the French Open on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Sharapova let go of numerous chances to shut down the relentless Safina in the second set — up 5-2 in games, holding a match point, and up 5-2 in the tiebreaker — but she didn't, partly because the 22-year-old not-so-little sister of Marat displayed a mental toughness never seen from her before.

Sharapova, who lacks faith in herself on clay and doesn't choose the right shots at crucial moments, was so angry that in third set, she screamed "You're an (expletive) choker" to herself.

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On the seventh day of tennis, we ask...

What was the best outfit of 2008? There may never be a match for Bethanie Mattek's leopard print outfit at the 2007 U.S. Open, but we take a look at the players who gave it their best shot. Check out our responses and then dress up your own below.

Cronin: With fashion queen Maria Sharapova missing the U.S. Open and the usually daring Williams sisters dressing conservatively, it was a down year for fashion. But Bethanie Mattek pulled out an eye-popping dress during the East West Bank Classic in L.A., a blood tank top splashed with black that looked like a female's vampire cocktail dress on Halloween. Ordinal out of range

Pierce: Maria Sharapova, for seamlessly blending work and leisure through her Wimbledon warm-up jacket.

It didn't do much to help her play at the All England Club, but Sharapova's all-white business suit thing was worth a second look. It also came in handy for the many board meetings she had to attend after matches in London.

Extra points to Sharapova for sticking it to the Wimbledon organizers, who try to suppress creativity with their archaic all-white dress code rule. That's what you get for trying to stifle individuality.

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Webber: Roger Federer's unique Wimbledon ensemble.

Leave it to the stylish Swiss to look as smooth as he plays. Federer's elegant cardigan was the perfect choice for the historic All England Club. Savvy fashionistas took note of the sweater's embroidered "RF" logo and engraved buttons.

Federer had made a statement in London in the past by wearing a distinctive white blazer, but the sweater was a grand slam fashion success. Somewhere Mr. Blackwell must be smiling.

On the sixth day of tennis, we ask...

Who would like to have that one back? On the day America returns its unwanted presents, we look at the one player that most wants to have that one moment back. Check out our responses and then tell us why we should take them back below.

Webber: Argentina's doubles loss to Spain in the Davis Cup final. Argentina came into the final as the heavy favorite hosting a Spanish team that was missing Rafael Nadal because of a knee injury. But the Spaniards got an unlikely singles victory from Feliciano Lopez over Juan Martin del Potro and entered the pivotal doubles match with the tie even at one point apiece in the best-of-five format.

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Argentina opted to use David Nalbandian in doubles, hoping their most decorated Davis Cup player could team with Agustin Calleri to deliver the win. However, Lopez and Fernando Verdasco overcame a hostile crowd to rally from a set down to win the match. Verdasco maintained his momentum from the doubles victory to beat Jose Acasuso in reverse singles to complete the Spanish upset.

If Argentina had been able to win the doubles match, a different Davis Cup champion would likely have been crowned in 2008.

Cronin: James Blake has accomplished a lot in his life, but he has never reached a Grand Slam semifinal. After upsetting Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the Beijing Olympics, Blake had a chance to achieve one of his dreams by winning an Olympic medal.

But in the semifinals against Fernando Gonzalez, he lost his cool and accused his foe of a lack of sportsmanship. In the third set, Blake claimed the Chilean touched a ball, which went out but he didn't admit it to the umpire. Gonzalez fought off three match points and won the marathon match 4-6, 7-5, 11-9. Blake then lost the bronze medal match to Novak Djokovic.

"Playing in the Olympics, in what's supposed to be considered a gentleman's sport, that's a time to call it on yourself. Fernando looked me square in the eye and didn't call it," Blake said.

Pierce: Jelena Jankovic has heard plenty of criticism since taking over the No. 1 ranking without a Grand Slam win on her resume. She could've made it go away with a win in the U.S. Open final — her first and only Slam title match.

But she ran into Serena Williams in Flushing Meadows, and didn't have enough in a 6-4, 7-5 loss. Until she wins the big one, Jankovic will look back at this as the missed chance to silence her doubters.

On the fifth day of tennis, we ask...

Who got the biggest gift in 2008? On Christmas Day, we look at the players who benefited the most from something out of their control. Check out our responses and then treat yourself to your own thoughts below.

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Pierce: Roger Federer, when Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open semifinals.

Certainly Federer would've stood a pretty good chance against Nadal anyway, but he couldn't have been too upset to watch his living Spanish nightmare — who won as many Grand Slam titles (2) in 2008 as the rest of the non-Federer top 10 combined ... for their careers — bow out a touch early.

Federer's thank you to Murray? A beating in the title match.

Webber: Justin Henin's retirement. Henin's abrupt departure from tennis created a major opening for the rest of the stars of the WTA Tour.

When Henin lost to Dinara Safina in Berlin in May, no one other than Justine could have known it would prove to be the last time the Belgian would take the court professionally. Henin's retirement created a large void atop the rankings. Ana Ivanovic was able to move up to number one, but the Serbian could not hang on to the top spot.

Jelena Jankovic finished the year as the world No. 1 — earning that distinction despite having only reached one Grand Slam singles final in her career.

The women's game sorely misses Henin's brilliant shot making and rugged tenacity. Let's hope she seriously considers a comeback in 2009, even if it makes things tougher on the competition.

Cronin: The entire WTA Tour after No. 1 Justine Henin shockingly retired in May, just prior to the French Open, which she had won in dominating fashion four times.

Ana Ivanovic most benefited from Henin's exit, as she was able to win her first major at Roland Garros and seize No. 1, an accomplishment that would have been made much tougher if Henin hadn't burned out.

On the fourth day of tennis, we ask...

Who is Santa Claus coming for in 2009? On Christmas Eve, we look at the unheralded players who are poised for a big breakout in 2009. Check out our responses and then tell us the real answer below.

Cronin: On the men's side, it's surely the surly Scot, Andy Murray, who beat Roger Federer three times in 2008, reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open and won two Masters Series crowns. Not only does he own a high-variety game and is smart, but he's a dogged competitor who believes he can take down any player on a great day.

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On the women's side, 18-year-old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark is showing she has all the tools to be a major force in the coming year: solid strokes, loads of confidence and little fear of the big occasion.

Pierce: Juan Martin del Potro. Something clicked with this guy after Wimbledon.

Del Potro, a second-round loser in each of the first three slams, had a horrendous first half of 2008. Then, out of nowhere, he reeled off four consecutive tournament wins (Stuttgart; Kitzbuhel; Los Angeles; Washington, DC) and pushed Andy Murray to the limit in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. The second-half surge earned him a spot in the year-end Masters Cup tournament, where he lost out in the round-robin stage.

He may be a year away yet, but the tall Argentine — who will end the year ranked No. 9 — is on the doorstep of greatness. He just needs to prove he can play with the big boys.

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Webber: Marin Cilic. Let's start with the preface that we are all guessing to a degree when it comes to who could have a breakout year. Raise your hand if you projected Gilles Simon would finish the year ranked in the top 10. But we'll take a shot that Cilic could be ready to take the next step in his career in 2009.

The Croatian moved from No. 71 at the end of 2007 to No. 23 at the end of 2008. Cilic won his first ATP singles title at New Haven and posted his best showing at a Grand Slam tournament by reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open — and he did it all before celebrating his 20th birthday in September.

With his smooth backhand and all-court game, Cilic should improve upon his tally of 37 match victories in 2008.

On the third day of tennis, we ask...

Who had the most volatile year? Not the best or the worst year, but which tennis player managed to combine phenomenal highs with crushing lows? Check out our responses and then shake things up below.

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Webber: Maria Sharapova. The Russian star seemed poised to dominate the WTA Tour after her masterful performance in Melbourne. Sharapova did not lose a set during her dynamic run at the Australian Open and beat Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic in succession to capture the first major of 2008.

Sharapova was just as sharp winning singles titles at Doha and Amelia Island to complete an impressive first quarter of the season. But the former world No. 1 would battle injuries and inconsistency the rest of the year. Sharapova was knocked out in the Round of 16 at the French Open and was stunned in the second round at Wimbledon.

A balky shoulder limited Sharapova to just two matches after her early exit at the All England Club. Although she won 32 of the 36 matches she played in 2008, the highs of her spectacular play at the Aussie Open were balanced by the lows of Sharapova's inability to stay healthy enough to get back on the court.

Cronin: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. France's Jumping Jo came out of nowhere to destroy Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open semifinals, then just when he looked like a top-five player to be, he suffered yet another knee injury that took him out for most of the summer. But at year's end, he powered to his first Masters Series crown in Paris, qualified for the Masters Cup and ended the year ranked No. 6.

Pierce: Ana Ivanovic. The Serbian had about as up-and-down a year as you could have. Coming off a strong 2007 that saw her make two Grand Slam semis (and one final) and finish with a No. 4 ranking, Ivanovic wasted little time building on that success, reaching the Australian Open final.

But she was humbled in that match by Maria Sharapova and seemed still a tier below the Russian and reigning No. 1 Justine Henin. Then Henin retired, and Ivanovic won the ensuing Grand Slam — the French Open — to suddenly attain the No. 1 ranking.

Tennis' new superstar lost her luster in a hurry, though, falling in the third round at Wimbledon and missing the Olympics due to injury. She still managed to regain the No. 1 ranking in August, but then lost in the second round at the U.S. Open despite being the top seed. She also bowed out in the round-robin stage of the season-ending WTA Championships.

She'll finish the year ranked No. 5 — a slight step back compared to last year, but also a big step forward with her first Grand Slam win.

On the second day of tennis, we ask...

What was the best off-the-court news story of 2008? Maybe you liked Andy Roddick getting engaged. Maybe you're the type that prefers Jimmy Connors getting arrested. Check out our responses and give us the real story below.

Pierce: Boris Becker getting dumped via text message. It happens to the best of us, but Boris Becker? The 41-year-old tennis legend said his 26-year-old girlfriend Sandy Meyer-Woelden "trampled on my soul" when she dismissed the relationship with a few keystrokes on the cell phone.

"To make sure how serious she was she sent me five others saying the same thing," Becker said.

That makes a total of six break-up texts. Jeez, Sandy. If that's how you break up with a six-time Grand Slam winner, we don't want to know how harsh you were to your previous tennis player beau, the Slam-less Tommy Haas.

Webber: Boris Becker probably wishes he didn't have unlimited text messaging on his cell phone plan after being dumped that way in November. The six-time Grand Slam singles champion continues to remind us that the tennis court isn't the only place in which love can mean nothing.

Perhaps this was some karmic payback for Becker, who reportedly broke up with his previous gal-pal last year by telling her not to come to his 40th birthday party.

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Cronin: Beverly Hills resident Ashley Harkleroad received about $250,000 to become the first tennis player to pose naked for Playboy, nearly a quarter of her career prize money to date. But the attention took its toll on her tennis, and a few weeks after saying that boyfriend and coach Chuck Adams "is having to deal with female hormones," Harkleroad discovered exactly why she was having mood swings — she's pregnant and is due sometime late next spring.

On the first day of tennis, we ask...

What was the biggest disappointment of 2008? The first installment of the 12 Days of Tennis looks at the players who didn't deliver on expectations this year. Check out our responses and then tell us how disappointed you are below.

Cronin: Nicole Vaidisova. As bad as the super-talented Richard Gasquet was, or as disappointing as the 28-year-old James Blake was at the majors, the biggest bust of 2008 goes to the tall Czech teen.

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Once considered a Grand Slam winner-to-be, Vaidisova totally flamed out in 2008, finishing the year ranked No. 41 (a huge drop from her career-high No. 7 ranking in 2007) and failing to win a title.

Vaidisova has to be cut a little slack because she split with her ultra-intense stepfather and coach Alex Kodat early in the year, but the woman with huge on-court weapons has made little mental progress under her new coach, David Taylor, and appears to be uninterested and distracted since she took up her romantic relationship with Radek Stepanek, Martina Hingis' ex-fiancée.

Pierce: Andy Roddick and James Blake at the Slams. Though expectations haven't been too high for either of these guys in a while, they were still top 10 players in a year when Roger Federer showed some weakness.

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Blake started decently, with his first-ever Australian Open quarterfinal run, but the rest of the Slam season was forgettable as he lost in the second round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and left in the third round at the U.S. Open — his worst combined showing at those three events since 2003.

Roddick — who showed a glimmer of something special in beating Federer in Miami — fared even worse. A three-time semifinalist in Melbourne, he was sent packing in the third round — his worst effort there since his first Aussie Open in 2002. He missed the French due to injury and the rust showed at Wimbledon, where he posted his worst-ever finish by falling in the second round. The U.S. Open — site of his lone Slam triumph — was no place for joy this time as he fell in the quarterfinals to Novak Djokovic.

Roddick's year-end rank will only be down slightly from '07, and Blake's will actually be up a few spots, but for two guys who ache for Grand Slam success, this was a down year.

Webber: Marcos Baghdatis. 2008 started with another memorable match for the charismatic Cypriot at the Australian Open. After his improbable run to the final in Melbourne in 2006, Baghdatis took on Lleyton Hewitt in the third round of the '08 Aussie Open.

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Baghdatis and Hewitt had to wait for Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic to finish their epic five-set battle and weren't able to take the court until most of the spectators would normally be going to bed. Their marathon match started around midnight and didn't end until 4:34 a.m. And even though Baghdatis lost the match, he seemed poised for major achievements in 2008.

But Baghdatis would be slowed by a back injury and other health concerns and only was able to play in four events after Wimbledon. He posted just 14 match victories for the entire season and parted company with coach Peter Lundgren. After finishing 2007 ranked No. 16 in the world, Baghdatis will begin 2009 at No. 98. It's looking more likely that Baghdatis could be remembered as a one-Slam wonder.

Matt Cronin and Brian Webber are frequent contributors to FOXSports.com's tennis coverage. Zack Pierce is a senior editor for FOXSports.com.