Happily, the disappointments in tennis this year were fewer than the successes, although in tennis, one player's success is usually another's disappointment.

January: Before the Australian Open even starts, three top players, Patrick Rafter, Monica Seles, and Venus Williams, announce that they won't be playing, then after only two rounds of play, fourteen of the tournament's seeds (five women, nine men) are eliminated. Jelena Dokic compounds the injury of losing in the first round by making stunningly ungracious comments about Kuti Kis, the woman who beat her.

March: Rumors of Anna Kournikova's impending marriage to Pavel Bure crush millions of male fans. Hope is rekindled, though, as the rumors fade, and Anna remains single.

May: Pete Sampras's march toward a career Grand Slam bogs down once more in the red clay of Roland Garros, as he loses in the first round of the French Open to Mark Philippoussis.

July: Only one male seed, Thomas Enqvist, makes it through the first week of Wimbledon in Pete Sampras's half of the draw. Enqvist isn't a grass-court player, so Pete's path to the final holds little suspense.
The U.S. Davis Cup team loses all five matches in the semifinal against Spain. John McEnroe's inability to get Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi to play and his failed attempt to insult the Spaniards into choking seemingly contribute to his eventual decision to quit as captain after just one season.

August: Olympic tennis gets a decidedly cool reception from many of the top pros, including Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova, and Mary Pierce, who decide not to play.

September: Defending U.S. Open champ Andre Agassi loses in the second round to Arnaud Clement.

Which player fell furthest short or rose furthest above your expectations for the 2000 season? Join our discussion.