The year in tennis had a dramatic split personality. It was a year of exceptional achievements by well-known players, but also a year of transition. Serena Williams made history although her grip on the womens game was convincingly loosened. The ATPs Big Four spent more time breaking down than bagging titles, yet one member completed a career Grand Slam while another became the 26th player to claim the top ranking (and just the 17th year-end No. 1 since the rankings were instituted in 1973). Other players made big impressions or fulfilled long-deferred dreams. Here are our picks for tennis players of the year:10. Karolina Pliskova (WTA No. 6)2016 accomplishments:?44-23 record; two titles, including CincinnatiIs Pliskova another Petra Kvitova or Maria Sharapova? We may learn the answer in 2017 after of a breakout season for the 24-year old Czech player. During her finest run, spanning August and early September, Pliskova defeated No. 1 Angelique Kerber in Cincinnati and lost narrowly to her in the US Open final -- that after beating Venus and then Serena Williams in earlier matches. A right-hander, Pliskova can command with her serve and has an appetite for first-strike tennis that will make her dangerous to all.9. Monica Puig (WTA No. 32)51-25; one title, at OlympicsIts difficult to overstate how much it means for a place like Puerto Rico to produce a gold medalist in a popular, international pro sport -- or to overvalue how much a story like Puigs does for the sport of tennis. She created the ultimate Cinderella story in Rio de Janeiro, defeating Grand Slam champions Garbine Muguruza and Kvitova before claiming the gold medal with a win over Kerber.8. Alexander Zverev (ATP No. 24)44-24; one title, at St. Petersburg, RussiaZverev towers above his fellow ATP #nextgen brethren, literally as well as figuratively. Hes 6-foot-6 and still just 19, yet his coordination and movement are excellent, which is why this German youngster appears to be everyones cant miss future Grand Slam champion. He has already beaten a slew of great players, including Roger Federer on the grass of Halle and Stan Wawrinka in the title match on the hard courts of St. Petersburg.7. Johanna Konta (WTA No. 10)46-22; one title, at StanfordShes the official WTA Most Improved Player of the Year after a meteoric rise that began at the US Open in the summer of 2015 and continued to gain momentum through 2016. So far, the highlight has been her win at Stanford over Venus Williams. Kontas big serve and aggressive game enabled her to become the first British woman to be ranked in the top 10 since Jo Durie 32 years ago.6. Stan Wawrinka (ATP No. 4)46-18; four titles, including US OpenNovak Djokovics problems were not yet manifest when Wawrinka stunned him in the US Open final, proving to anyone who still doubted that the new Swiss No. 1 (ahead of that Roger -- whats his name?) is a superb big-match player. The US Open final match had a profound impact on the ATP narrative for the year. Wawrinka doesnt always bring his A-game (as his modest title haul suggests), but when he does, watch out.5. Juan Martin del Potro (ATP No. 38)32-12; one title, at StockholmIf we were to pick a single Player of the Year weighing impact on the game and quality of effort more highly than full results, Delpo would probably walk away with the award hands down. At the start of the year, he wasnt sure he would ever play tennis again due to his chronic wrist injuries. By the end, he had risen 1,003 ranking spots on the computer, won his first tournament in 33 months, claimed an Olympic silver medal (after a first-round upset of Djokovic) and led Argentina to its first Davis Cup championship.4. Serena Williams (WTA No. 2)38-6; two titles, at Wimbledon and RomeWilliams played just eight tournaments in 2016, due partly to various injuries as well as a laser-like focus on major events. She was well into her 34th year when she won Wimbledon to tie Steffi Graf as the Open-eras leading singles title producer (each now has 22). The physical and emotional struggles Williams experienced in 2015 carried over into much of this year, a testament to the toll exacted by her drive over the past two years to catch Graf.3. Novak Djokovic (ATP No. 2)65-9; seven titles, including Australian Open, French Open and four ATP Masters 1000sLooking at Djokovics year as a whole tends to put much of what happened in the final three months into a better perspective. Djokovic had a remarkable timing problem this year. Immediately after he became just the eighth man in tennis history to complete a career Grand Slam, he experienced an emotional letdown -- just as Andy Murrays confidence and determination kicked into high gear. All credit to Murray, but it was rotten luck for Djokovic, too.2. Angelique Kerber (WTA No. 1)63-18; three titles, including Australian Open and US OpenThis was the surprise Serena Williams could not have expected. Kerber always has been capable of pulling off the big upset, but shed stall or withdraw from the flame in the late stages. This year, she came up huge in major events, playing three Grand Slam finals and winning two. Although she won just one other tournament (Stuttgart), her record is strewn with semifinal and final appearances.1. Andy Murray (ATP No. 1)78-9; nine titles, including Wimbledon, Olympics, ATP World Tour Finals and three ATP Masters 1000sThe numbers are dazzling. But the most impressive aspect of Murrays rise to No. 1 was the remarkable combination of stamina and resolve he showed en route to stripping the prestigious year-end No. 1 ranking from Djokovic in the last match of the year. Once cast as the guy destined always to fall one match short, Murray ended his career year with a 26-match winning streak -- and a storybook finish.Honorable mentionsATP: No. 3 Milos Raonic (52-17, one title) was the Wimbledon runner-up, is now positioned for a Grand Slam breakthrough. ... No. 20 Ivo Karlovic (32-24; two titles) had one of the best years of his career at age 37. ... No. 76 Taylor Fritz (15-22, no titles) is the other 19-year old in the top 100 (joining Zverev) and finished the season nearly 100 rankings places higher than he started it. Hes boosting the hopes of U.S. tennis.WTA: No. 7 Garbine Muguruza (35-20; one title) was brilliant in winning the French Open but stunningly unimpressive for the rest of the year. ... No. 8 Madison Keys (47-17; one title) showed signs of greater consistency and almost punched through to the elite level a few times. ... No. 26 Daria Kasatkina (36-23; no titles) is 19 and had wins this year over Pliskova, Roberta Vinci, Venus Williams and Dominika Cibulkova to improve her ranking by 49 places. Dustin Byfuglien Jersey . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Logan Stanley Jets Jersey . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-teemu-selanne-jets-jersey/ . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Josh Morrissey Jersey . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Bobby Hull Jets Jersey . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Things to watch in the ACC in Week 2.GAME OF THE WEEK: Penn State and Pittsburgh used to play every year when they were both Eastern independents, but the rivalry went dormant after the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten and Pitt went to the ACC. Their first meeting since 2000 -- the first of a four-game series that runs through 2019 -- matches teams coming off 20-point wins over inferior competition. In an attempt to keep the players focus, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has put the Panthers on lockdown because he says this week were going to stay locked in and have no distractions.BEST MATCHUP: North Carolina State defense vs. East Carolina pass offense. The Wolfpacks experienced defense -- every listed starter entered the season with starting experience -- allowed just 106 yards passing in an opening win against William & Mary. Theyre going on the road to face a test from former Minnesota QB Philip Nelson, who threw for 398 yards and five touchdowns in a rout of Western Carolina, in a venue thats always loudly hostile to instate ACC schools. They have a chip on their shoulder, N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. Our chip on our shoulder has to be proving who we are.INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Only 12 Bowl Subdivision schools did not allow a touchdown during Week 1, and two of them -- Wake Forest and Duke -- meet in their ACC opener.dddddddddddd The Blue Devils gave up just 112 total yards to North Carolina Central -- the fewest ever allowed by a David Cutcliffe-coached team. The Demon Deacons, meanwhile, gave up 280 yards to Tulane, largely because their offense had trouble staying on the field long enough to give the `D a break.LONG SHOT: Virginia has to hope its second game under new coach Bronco Mendenhall goes better than the first. The Cavaliers, who were beaten soundly by Richmond of the FCS in Mendenhalls debut, now face a cross-country trip to No. 24 Oregon. Beating the Ducks would be a huge upset but maybe the struggling Cavaliers can find a way to cover the nearly 25-point spread.IMPACT PLAYER: Maybe Virginia Tech QB Jerod Evans will put on a show before whats expected to be the largest crowd to ever attend a football game. Evans will lead the Hokies against Tennessee in the Battle at Bristol before an expected 150,000 fans at Bristol Motor Speedway. He threw four touchdown passes in his debut with Virginia Tech, a 36-13 win over Liberty.---Compiled by AP Sports Writer Joedy McCreary in Raleigh, North Carolina. ' ' '