The 2015 French Open has come to a close, but before I dive into my Wimbledon coverage, I want to take a look back on what we learned from the two weeks that were in Paris.
#1. Stanislas Wawrinka is a force to be reckoned with
Stanislas Wawrinka is now a two-time grand slam champion after his stunning four set victory over Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. We have to treat him as a serious contender to win Wimbledon and the US Open after seeing the level of tennis that he is capable of playing.
#2. Serena Williams is the greatest female tennis player ever
If there were any doubts about where Serena Williams ranks among the greatest female tennis players, I think winning her 20th grand slam title on her least favorite surface proves she is the greatest female tennis player ever. Margaret Court has the most grand slam titles with 24, but she played in a much less competitive era. As for Steffi Graf's 22 grand slams, Michael Wilbon and others argue that her numbers are inflated because of Monica Seles getting stabbed.
I don't want to go that far, but I will say that Serena Williams has dominated tennis in a much more competitive era and likely will pass Margaret Court just for good measure anyways. Once she surpasses Margaret Court, there will literally be no reason for Serena Williams haters to say she isn't the greatest.
#3. Novak Djokovic really let one slip away
I don't want to take anything away from Stanislas Wawrinka, but Novak Djokovic really blew an opportunity to capture a career slam. He defeated Rafael Nadal, the king of clay, and had the career slam right in front of him on a silver platter. If he doesn't end up winning the career slam, he will really look back on this tournament as a blown opportunity to join a very elite group of tennis players.
#4. Lucie Safarova has arrived
After turning pro in 2002, 28 year old Lucie Safarova finally reached a grand slam final at Roland Garros. In addition, she played Serena Williams really tough and had a 2-0 lead in the third set. Don't be surprised if Safarova makes a deep run at Wimbledon. She made the semis last year.
#5. Grigor Dimitrov was a major disappointment
If you read my preview for the French Open, you would know that I predicted that Grigor Dimitrov might have an early exit, but even I was surprised by his first round exit to Jack Sock. He was seeded 10th and certainly should have at least made it to the 4th round.
#6. American men's tennis looks promising
The American men had a nice showing at Roland Garros. Jack Sock made the 4th round before losing to Rafael Nadal and as for the Boys' singles, the final consisted of two Americans, Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.
#7. Maria Sharapova's loss to Lucie Safarova wasn't so bad
I picked Maria Sharapova to win the French Open, but she ended up losing in the 4th round to Lucie Safarova. Judging by how Safarova played after beating her, I think it's safe to say that Maria Sharapova shouldn't be all that discouraged by how things went for her. Safarova was clearly the #2 player in the entire tournament behind Serena Williams.
#8. Andy Murray should feel confident about his Roland Garros chances going forward
Andy Murray could be the next one to deny Novak Djokovic of a career slam at Roland Garros. Murray lost in four sets to Djokovic in the semifinals, but I think that his entire clay season should make him feel confident about next year. Andy Murray has to look at this as a process and things are definitely going in the right direction for him.
#9. Rafael Nadal is no longer invincible on clay
Did you really think I was not going to address Rafael Nadal, the king of clay? Rafael Nadal losing is without question the biggest story of the French Open. I don't think he is done winning grand slams or French Open titles, but it's safe to say his window is finally closing.
#10. I don't know what to make of Roger Federer's performance
Roger Federer lost in straight sets to Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. At the time, it looked like a bad loss, but in retrospect, maybe it wasn't such a bad loss. Federer may still have some grand slam titles left in him, but I don't see him winning another title at Roland Garros.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy for tennis news
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