Roger Federer wins the Wimbledon title. Rafael Nadal lifts the French Open. No, this is not 2007 but results of men’s tennis in 2017. The memorable year saw the greatest players of the Open Era come into the party just like the old times. Federer and Nadal, the winner of most number of grand slam titles in history won two majors each this year, establishing their dominance in ATP tour once again. On the contrary, WTA tour saw new faces holding the winner’s trophies in the absence of tennis queen Serena Williams. However, the American star sportsperson won the opening grand slam of the year, Australian Open to become the second all-time grand slam winner in women’s tennis. 2017 also marked the return of the five-time major champion, Maria Sharapova after the dope ban. A lot has happened in the year, so here, have a quick look at all the highs and lows in tennis.

Beginning with Australian Open 2017, Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal, his on-court arch-nemesis in the finals. This was the 18th major title of the Swiss legend. Federer overcame Nadal’s challenge in a classic five-setter 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. At the age of 35, Roger became the second oldest player in the Open Era since 37-year-old Ken Rosewall at the 1972 Australian Open. This was the fifth triumph for Federer in the finals at Melbourne and his first since 2010.

Moving on to the women’s finals, it saw the battle of Williams. Serena Williams beat sister Venus in straight sets 6-4 6-4 to win her seventh Australian Open. The 35-year-old star won her 23rd grand slam title, surpassing the record of 22 held by Steffi Graf. Serena is one behind the Australian legend, Margaret Court’s Open-era record 24 Grand Slam singles title.

Time for some fun fact: The incredible, supremely phenomenal tennis powerhouse, Serena was two months pregnant when she won the Australian Open 2017. She announced her pregnancy with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in April with a Snapchat story with the caption ’20 weeks’. The tennis ace gave birth to a girl on September 1, naming her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr (breaking yet another age-old stereotype). Serena married Alexis on November 16, 2017, in New Orleans.

After Melbourne, players lined up in Roland Garros in their bid to win French Open 2017. However, it was the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal who showcased his true masterclass to defeat Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. This was Spanish legend’s 10th French Open title and 15th grand slam of his career. Meanwhile, there was a major upset in the women’s section. Unseeded 20-year-old Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Simona Halep, the third seed in hard-fought three-set 4-6 6-4 6-3 finals.

Tournament news: Maria Sharapova was denied a wildcard by French Tennis Federation (FFT). The Russian tennis ace had made a return from a 15-month doping ban. It was quite a surprising move from the organizers to ignore the two-time French Open winner.

The third major slam of the year, Wimbledon in All England Lawn Tennis Club saw another interesting chapter written by Roger Federer. The 35-year-old Swiss master defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia in straight sets 6-3 6-1 6-4. It was a record eighth Wimbledon title for Federer who had not won since 2012. With this victory, Federer also became the oldest player in the Open Era at the All England Club. Spaniard Garbine Muguruza defeated Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0 to win her first Venus Rosewater Dish. This was 24-year-old player’s second grand slam title, previously winning the French Open in 2016.

We now come to the fourth and final grand slam of the year, US Open. The results at the Arthur Ashe Stadium once again established the Federer-Nadal rule in the men’s tennis. The Spaniard won the US Open beating South African Kevin Anderson comfortably in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. It meant a clean-sweep for Federer and Nadal as they took two grand slam titles home each. Meanwhile, the women’s tennis saw an emergence of new American players in the absence of Serena Williams. Sloane Stephens defeated Madison Keys in an all-American final.

Interesting event news: Russian star Maria Sharapova defeated World No 2 Simona Halep in the opening round of US Open. This was her comeback match in grand slams and former champion did not squander the opportunity. The 30-year-old was given a rousing welcome by the enthusiastic New York crowd much to the delight of Sharapova.

ATP Tour Finals 2017: Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria defeated David Goffin of Belgian in Nitto ATP Finals. Nicknamed ‘Baby Federer’, Dimitrov registered 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory in a thrilling match to claim his maiden ATP World Tour Finals title. The victory also helped the 26-year-old earn a career-high ranking of World No. 3.

WTA Finals 2017: Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki defeated American Venus Williams in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to win the finals. This is the biggest title in former World No. 1 player’s career which she secured after beating Williams for the first time. Before this victory, Caro had been 0-7 down head-to-head against Venus. The win also propelled her rankings to a number three in the WTA rankings, a career high since 2011.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2017 05:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).