Falling forward...

September: Some Take it Easy, Some Don't

With the year's final Major in the books, and five spots booked for the Tour finale in London, the final remaining three positions for an English tournament would be highly contested throughout the indoor season.

In a relatively quiet month of action, Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon each captured titles in Metz and Bangkok, respectively.

Monfils, who hadn't won a Tour title in nearly four years, finally displayed the effort and athleticism required to gain entry into the top 10.

Simon, who had a breakout year in 2008, never came close to recapturing his brilliance of a year ago.

The Nice native proved that he still had the goods on Tour during that one week of success in Thailand.

October: ND, Not RF Became the New Monogram of Excellence During the Fall

Arriving in Asia with his full entourage, Novak Djokovic began a scintillating final quarter of tennis that commenced with his victory in Beijing.

After defeating Marin Cilic in the final, Djokovic resumed his quest for rattling the top tier of the men's Tour.

Another ND, Nikolay Davydenko, who remained in the hunt for London qualification, continued his fine form from Kuala Lumpur, defeating both Rafael Nadal and Djokovic to claim his fourth career Masters 1000 title in Shanghai.

On the cusp of making his fifth straight Tour finale, Davydenko kept his head down, while sustaining momentum towards the elite eight.

A special October shout out goes to Marcos Baghdatis and Ivan Ljubicic, who picked up their first Tour titles in two seasons in Stockholm and Lyon.

The former top-10 players proved that their dusted-off rackets could still produce some great tennis.

Baghdatis, in particular, could become a valued commodity with the wilting charisma of today's superstars.

November: Goodbyes in Paris; Hello to London; Andre Tells All

The final official month of the calendar season was defined by a shining consensus for the Tour's players: Everyone was tired.

Marat Safin and Fabrice Santoro closed out their charismatic careers at the Paris Masters.

Safin delighted his fans with a final power display against Delpo, while Santoro condensed his slicing theatrics in a losing effort to James Blake.

Final thoughts on the two different, but connected players.

Safin was everything that Santoro wanted to be: talented and power-personified.

While the stalky and charming Russian bullied through his 13-year-career, Santoro reminded the power-stricken quotient of today's game that a little touch could certainly create longevity.

Santoro by contrast gave Safin fits every time they played.

In fact, Safin once compared playing Santoro to being told that he was going to "die."

With that kind of drama going into a match, who wouldn't want to watch?

All in all, two great players who will be sorely missed—for completely different, but comparable reasons.

On to the successful Tour finale in England.

In a great move by the ATP World Tour, the elite eight were teleported from a dismal Shanghai backdrop to a new battleground at the O2 Arena.

With dim lighting and a dashing blue court, the top eight warriors battled through sold-out crowds and numerous three-setters in an all-around great week for the game.

The supreme benefactor of the week's events turned out to be none other than Mr. Unsung himself, Davydenko.

Pile-driving through all the Grand Slam winners of the season, the Russian booked his spot a top the grandest stage outside the four Majors.

To the delight of his handbag-adoring wife, the 28-year-old Moscow native pocketed a cool $1.5 million in prize money.

Davydenko can now look forward to shedding some of his off-the-rise majesty to a legitimate Grand Slam run—more handbags for Irina, of course.

It remains to be seen if Davydenko will capture a Major Championship, but there is no question (especially after defeating Federer for the first time), that the diminutive Russian can win a Slam event.

Last but not least, the prolific career of Andre Agassi came full circle with his revelation of his meth use in 1997.

At first I felt a certain degree of resentment towards Agassi's action; it seemed like his deception towards the Tour just didn't add up.

But then as I further analyzed the actions that took place, I was left with a feeling of empathy towards the eight-time slam champ.

After all, here's an iconic tennis figure who really didn't care too much for the game growing up.

Having no choice to decide his own childhood fate, Agassi inevitably turned to the dark path of substance abuse—a substance which was debilitating and not performance-enhancing.

There is no doubt that the current crop of Tour players will face heightened drug sanctions by WADA in the coming years.

Xavier Malisse, anyone?

December: Nothing Like a Little Davis Cup to Cure That Short Forehand

After enduring several months of not winning a title (eight to be exact), Davis Cup stalwart Nadal led his Spanish team to their fourth title of the decade.

Nadal, who had lost significant confidence during the season—through physical and emotional distress—recaptured his winning ways (to some degree), defeating both Tomas Berdych and Jan Hajek in singles action. Yes people, Hajek made the year in review.

Up until his resurgence during the Cup final in Barcelona, Nadal had lost four matches in a row; more importantly the sting on his devastating forehand had subsided.

Nadal's renowned forehand had found an unproductive comfort zone in the service box of his opponent's court—a location where ball strikers such as Cilic, Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, and Robin Soderling were allowed to crush their devastating ground strokes.

However, with the clay under his wings, Nadal propelled both his squad and his confidence to the undeniable plateau of national excellence.

Spain's victory over the Czech Republic capped off a decade of three former No. 1 players: Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Carlos Moya as the leaders of Spain's legacy.

In a year which began with a relative surprise Down Under, Nadal once again summoned his inner belief to end the year with a prominent career title.

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Well, tennis fans, that wraps up another year of action on the ATP World Tour. I fully expect 2010 to top the excitement of 2009, due in large part to the emergence of del Potro as a Grand Slam winner.

The Argentine should provide an extra layer of predictability to the latter stages of the major events.

Please check back shortly for some predictions for next season, as we slowly get ready for the new year in Australia.