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Roger Federer and Justine Henin were the predictable heroes in what turned out to be one of the most unpredictable tennis seasons on record.
They swept all before them to once again rule the tennis world in 2007, winning five of the eight grand slams on offer between
them, but their achievements were overshadowed by a multitude of plots that came to the fore.
The genteel sport of tennis has been left reeling over the past four months with allegations of match-fixing, gambling, doping and even poisoning hitting the headlines.
The scourge of corruption that has blighted sports such as soccer, cricket and horse-racing, surfaced in tennis.
A match between world No 4 Nikolay Davydenko and lowly ranked Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello in Poland in August was voided by British online betting exchange Betfair because of unusual betting patterns, raising suspicions of match-fixing.
Russian Davydenko, who retired hurt from the match, denies any involvement.
But since then, a procession of male players, including Wimbledon doubles champion Michael Llodra, have said they were offered money to throw matches. All added they had rebuffed the offers.
For Davydenko, who usually struggles to get any global exposure or even a shirt sponsor despite his high ranking, being in the spotlight proved to be an uncomfortable experience.
"I am disappointed because I'm a top player and people are talking (about it) not only in Russia, in my country, (but) also talking everywhere in the world," he said.
Tennis great Billie Jean King said the threat of match-fixing was one of the pitfalls of modern sport.
"People follow the money in sports. In the '60s nobody cared because there wasn't any money," the American said.
The tennis bodies - the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the men's ATP and women's WTA governing associations and the four grand slam events - reacted quickly to the threat by joining forces to set up an 'integrity unit'.
Under the scheme, players have 48 hours to report any suspicious behaviour or risk sanctions.
While no player has so far been found guilty of corruption, little-known Italian Alessio Di Mauro became the first professional to be banned (for nine months) and fined US$60,000 ($80,558) for gambling in the sport.
Di Mauro escaped a more severe penalty as he was found to have bet only on other players' matches.
An incredulous Martina Hingis could not be bothered to hang around and see what punishment would be meted out to her after she was notified that she had failed a drugs test at Wimbledon.
"I have been accused by an outsource testing company of taking cocaine...I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous, that I have decided to confront it head-on," Hingis, the winner of five grand slam titles, said, fighting back tears.
"I believe that I am absolutely, 100 per cent innocent. (But) accusations such as these don't exactly provide me with motivation... I have decided to no longer play tennis on the Tour."
It proved to be an inglorious end to a journey that had begun 27 years ago when Hingis' parents named her after tennis great Martina Navratilova.
Another former world No 1, Belgian Kim Clijsters, enjoyed a more low-key exit from the game and happily traded in her tennis racket in May to embrace the joys of married life.
The season appeared to take a more sinister turn when Germany's Tommy Haas said he had been poisoned in Moscow during his team's Davis Cup semifinal tie.
"I had never in my life felt so dreadful and I was really starting to get scared," Haas said.
While many fans and pundits started drawing parallels to the case of Alexander Litvinenko, the Kremlin critic who died last November after being poisoned in London, the comparisons were shortlived after tests showed Haas' suspicions were unfounded.
On court at least, Federer and Henin resumed normal service in their usual understated way, with both earning accolades from some of greats in the sport.
For the third time in four years, Federer walked away with three of the four majors and now stands only two slams short of Pete Sampras' overall record of 14.
"Roger's got too many shots, too much talent in one body," Australian Rod Laver, the only player to have won two calendar Grand Slams, observed.
"It's hardly fair that one person can do all this - his backhands, his forehands, volleys, serving, his court position... the way he moves around the court, you feel like he's barely touching the ground and that's the sign of a great champion."
The Swiss, still only 26, joined Bjorn Borg as the only men to win five successive Wimbledon titles in the professional era.
Surprisingly, there were murmurings that perhaps the world number one was in decline as he won only eight titles and lost nine matches this season, compared with 12 titles and five defeats in 2006.
Any other player on the tour, however, would be happy to sneak off with the world number one's loot.
Among the records Federer captured in 2007 was his streak at number one. Already at the peak for a record 203 weeks, Federer is unlikely to relinquish his top-dog status any time in the near future as he holds a commanding 1445-point lead over nearest rival Rafael Nadal.
The Spaniard once again thwarted Federer's bid to complete the calendar slam by tripping up the Swiss master in the French Open final. But at least it gives Federer a goal in 2008.
Henin started the year by losing a husband - divorcing Pierre-Yves Hardenne - but ended 2007 with a huge smile across her face as she eclipsed Federer by lifting her 10th trophy of the season at the WTA Championships.
The French and US Open champion also regained a family by ending years of estrangement with her father and siblings. They were on hand to witness her emotional triumph at Roland Garros.
Such is her stature in the sport, the diminutive Belgian earned a moving tribute from King.
"I think the Justine Henin story for women's tennis is just (fantastic). For her size, she's the greatest athlete we've ever seen. She's incredible," said King.
The Williams sisters demonstrated they were still a force to be reckoned with as Serena walked away with the Australian Open crown while ranked 81st in the world. Venus picked up the Rosewater Dish at Wimbledon.
- REUTERS
