When reviewing the events of 2009, it's hard not to miss the obvious: Roger Federer won his 15th slam title; Rafael Nadal failed to five-peat in Paris; Juan Martin del Potro grabbed his first ever Major in New York; and Andre Agassi reminded everyone that tennis players are human after all.

With that being said, there was a gamut of activity that didn't include the top tier of men's tennis during the ATP World Tour and the ITF season.

Let's now begin our journey into recapping a year which saw quite a few enticing storylines.

January Down Under

Tennis has never wasted any time in reaching back and throwing one of its marquee events right out of the blocks. January saw nothing short of the world's best grind-out two weeks of sweltering drama in Australia.

French Falter: Mr. Pizazz and pearl earrings, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga failed to recapture his glory of 2008. Tsonga simply couldn't bring back his spell-bounding electricity of one year ago in a losing fourth round effort to Fernando Verdasco.

Spanish hardship: The Armada was full of vigor in the latter portion of the event. Rafa Nadal brought forth every ounce of mental fortitude he could provide, while Verdasco poured in his best Slam performance to date.

With only four double faults throughout the five hour and 15 minute classic, Verdasco's elbow couldn't fight off the pressure on match point—the top of the tape simply brought Verdasco to the anguish of his best ever match.

Finals are meant to be hard, no? Coming in fresh and ready to tie Pete Sampras' mark of 14 slams, Roger Federer found out the hard way that Nadal's Spanish sizzle worked well on pretty much any surface.

Trading sets back and forth, Nadal's persistent fitness and depth of shot broke down the Swiss maestro in more ways than one—the new year, in only its first month, had the moment of the season already with a consoling embrace between tennis' two superstars.

Tennis in February?

In a month relegated to an early pit stop on Tour, both Nadal and Federer saw limited on-court action.

Federer, who lives down the street from the million dollar event in Dubai, decided to stop shop and recharge his Aussie blues. Nadal, who limped into the Rotterdam final, came to the realization that his results would diminish when competing on a bad wheel. Rafa's outcome: A three set shellacking at the hands of Andy Murray.

With a diminished field in Dubai, Novak Djokovic picked a crucial title at the time, considering his lame and unfit dismissal in Melbourne.

Other winners in February included Tsonga in South Africa and Marseille; Marin Cilic in Croatia; Fernando Gonzalez in Chile; Tommy Robredo in Brazil and Argentina; Radek Stepanek in San Jose; Andy Roddick in Memphis; Mardy Fish in Delray Beach; and Nicolas Almagro in Mexico.

I guess there was some tennis to be had after all.

March Madness: The Sand and the Beach

Without question, my favorite time of the year comes in March. Not only do I get to shed my detest for the winter months in Toronto, but I embark on obtaining a good gauge on the hard court prowess of the world's best.

California Dreamin': Hot days and cool nights brought the best out of Nadal once again in Indian Wells. Early golfing and afternoon training seemed to fit right in with Nadal's California dominance.

Struggling through service woes during the early stages of the event, Nadal's diligent and methodical practice regiment saw him preserve through 40mph winds to dispatch Murray in the finals.

Nadal to my mind remains the best wind player on Tour.

Observing Nadal's progress during the event, I couldn't help but appreciate his unbridled passion and commitment to conduct himself as a true professional.

His hoisting of his second title in Palm Springs gave us all the impression that a bright and prosperous year lied ahead for the Spaniard—or so we thought.

Miami Blues: Miami's nightlife and humid conditions would be up next for the Tour faithful.

Gunning for the elusive back-to-back triumph of Indian Wells and Miami, Nadal uncharacteristically fell apart in the quarterfinals against del Potro.

Nadal would later leave the tennis community with the jaw-dropping proposal of a "personal problem." That problem, as we all found out shortly thereafter became the downfall of Nadal's season.

With the top ranked Spaniard out of commission, the stage was set for Federer, Murray and Djokovic to shine.

Federer's disappointment from Australia remained intact, forcing the Swiss to shatter his magical wand.

In the midst of the top two seeds faltering, Murray and Djokovic were more than eager to showcase their skill sets for the Florida public.

Murray, who resides in Miami, proved that his desert loss to Nadal was quickly forgotten. In an great exhibition of touch and powerful serving, the Scot routinely dismissed Djokovic 6-2, 7-5.

With the win, Murray was once again back in the fold as a serious Tour contender—status that was well earned, but not an absolute by any means.

April Brings the Brick

With eight months of hard court action neatly tucked away until the US Open series, the world's best began what became six weeks of revealing European tennis.

Nadal picked up right where he left off in 2008, dusting everyone in site to capture his fifth straight title in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, as well as his fourth overall title in Roma.

A Sure Bet: Nadal's knee tape was a thing of the past, and it appeared all but certain that death and Nadal winning the French Open would continue to be part of life's certainties.

Federer's woes continued to slide through Europe, causing early round departures from Monte Carlo and Roma.

However, a surprise wedding and the announcement of kids on the way seemed to represent a change of Federer's priorities—would his career finally take a back seat to his personal life?

From a man who once noted: "I live the game," that would certainly be hard to believe.

Back on Top: A commendable shout out to Juan Carlos Ferrero and Lleyton Hewitt—two ex former No. 1s and Grand Slam champions, who picked up there first Tour titles in six and two years respectively.

Ferrero mastered the field in Casablanca, while Hewitt gutted through a modest draw in Houston.

The clay season was in full swing, leaving the forth coming French Open to culminate the '09 ruler of the dirt.

Please check back tomorrow for part two of the year in review.