10. Oops, Serena did it again

Serena Williams and the U.S. Open are a fiery mix.

Two years after verbally abusing a linesperson in the semifinals, Williams went into attack mode when chair umpire Eva Asderaki enforced the hindrance rule early in the second set of this year's final.

Williams uttered a loud "come on" immediately after crunching a forehand (so the point wasn't over), with Asderaki then handing the point to Samantha Stosur. Stosur broke.

Here was part of what a seething Williams said to the diminutive Asderaki: "If you ever see me walking down the hall, walk the other way, because you're out of control.

"Totally out of control. You're a hater, unattractive inside. Who would do such a thing? And I never complain. Wow."

Another fine was on the way, this time for $2,000.

9. Djokovic's clay double

Beating Rafael Nadal on hard courts is one thing, but doing it twice on clay in the same season?

Novak Djokovic really got Nadal thinking when he crushed the Spaniard in both the Madrid and Rome finals.

Winning in Rome was particularly impressive for Djokovic since he contested a three-hour classic against Andy Murray the night before.

"I'm amazed with the way I'm playing, especially today given the circumstances and the condition I was in," Djokovic said. Had Djokovic beaten Roger Federer at the French Open, he could have made it three in a row against Nadal on dirt.

8. Kvitova opens her Grand Slam account

A star is born.

Petra Kvitova won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon -- and you can bet many more majors are on the way.

Two previous Czech women's winners at the All England Club, Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna, watched as Kvitova downed a helpless Maria Sharapova in the final.

Navratilova dished out the praise.

"Kvitova has the potential to be one of the greats," Navratilova said.

Unlike Navratilova, whose success came from serving and volleying, Kvitova bludgeoned her way to the crown. The lefty serve and forehand made for a lethal combination.

Barring injury, she'll be No. 1 at some point next year.

7. Djokovic's grass delight

He won on hard courts in Australia, then handled Nadal on clay. But grass was supposed to be a surface that slightly mystified Djokovic.

Not so.

Without any grass-court prep, Djokovic battled his way to the Wimbledon title. He outlasted Marcos Baghdatis in a third-round slugfest, overcame several difficult moments against unorthodox Aussie Bernard Tomic in the quarterfinals and stole the first set versus Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semis before comfortably prevailing.

Up next was Nadal, and Djokovic swept past the bamboozled two-time Wimbledon champion in four sets, getting some help in the final game when Nadal's forehand faltered.

Only two days earlier, he earned the No. 1 ranking.

"This is my favorite tournament, the tournament I always dreamed of winning, the first tournament I ever watched in my life," Djokovic said. "I think I'm still sleeping, I'm still having my dream."

6. Rafa tops Roger in Paris

Topping Nadal in a French Open final would have been one of Federer's finest achievements. Sadly for Federer, he missed the opportunity.

And what an opportunity it was.

Nadal looked shaky in stretches, yet when Federer's drop shot narrowly missed wide on set point in the first set, the momentum shifted.

It ended in four sets, and Nadal bagged his sixth French Open title.

"I thought he was getting tired throughout the third set and also in the fourth," Federer said. "It was unfortunate I couldn't take my chances early on in the fourth."

5. Li makes history

Finally fully healthy, Li Na came close to becoming China's first Grand Slam singles winner in Melbourne.

But there was no stopping her, surprisingly, on the clay of the French Open.

Aided by the calming presence of Michael Mortensen, Li earned her title in Paris, ousting the likes of Kvitova, Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and the defending champ, Francesca Schiavone.

"China tennis -- we're getting bigger and bigger," Li said.

According to reports, 116 million television viewers in China took in the final.

4. The streak

An overzealous tennis schedule caught up with Djokovic in the fall. However, he strung together an almost unprecedented run to start 2011.

Djokovic won 41 in a row from January to June -- one shy of John McEnroe's men's mark set in 1984. The streak included the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Rome and Madrid.

Before Federer dethroned him in Paris, there weren't too many near misses, either (Nadal in Miami, Thomaz Bellucci in Madrid and Murray in Rome).

"Given there's more competition, more athleticism, deeper fields, I'd say his record is even more impressive than mine, especially given that in 1984, the major in Australia was played at the end of the year," McEnroe said.

Those to take a set off him during the streak? Federer, Nadal, Murray, Bellucci, Ivan Dodig, Feliciano Lopez, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer and Juan Martin del Potro.

3. Djokovic's New York TKO over Rafa

The culmination of the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry in 2011, this had to have been one of the most physically grueling matches of all time. And when that's part of the equation, not many would look past Nadal.

But Djokovic cast aside any lingering doubts about his stamina when he defeated Nadal in four sets and more than four hours. Call it a technical knockout.

Four Grand Slam titles played for Djokovic, and three won.

"He's jumped up a level," said seven-time Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander. "I think this is the very beginning. He may be riding the wave, but it's not like the wave is going to end. This is how good he is."

2. Fed at his finger-wagging best

Djokovic had plenty on the line against Federer in the French Open semis. The Serb was seeking that 42nd straight win to start a season.

But Federer played one of the best matches of his career to prevail in four high-quality, supercharged sets to end the streak.

He was surely helped by the crowd, which chanted "Roger, Roger" and cheered in a fashion reminiscent of a Davis Cup series.

"It almost feels like I've won the tournament," Federer said.

Federer wagged his finger when it ended -- highly amusing.

1.The shot

It was quite simply the shot heard around the tennis world.

Djokovic saved two match points against Federer in the semis for the second straight year at the U.S. Open -- and this time they were both on the Swiss' serve.

Appearing to have given up and ticked he was getting no love from the New York crowd, Djokovic went for broke on the first match point and connected with an outrageous cross-court forehand return.

Federer sagged, Djokovic ascended, and that was it.

"I don't know how it happened," Djokovic said. "I read his serve and I was on the ball, and I had to hit it hard, and it got in, luckily for me."

Federer didn't cover himself in glory when he said he'd never have attempted such a high-risk shot.

"This is very hard to understand how [you] can play a shot like that on match point," he said. "But look, maybe he's been doing it for 20 years, so for him it was very normal."

It was Djokovic's year.