Before I move on to Wimbledon, I would like to take a quick look back at the two weeks that we just had in Paris at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic won his first Roland Garros title defeating Andy Murray in the final while Garbine Muguruza won her first grand slam title defeating Serena Williams in the final. There are 10 things that we can take away from the event, but Djokovic completing the career slam and Muguruza winning her first grand slam are definitely the two biggest stories.
#1. Novak Djokovic has entered rarefied air: Novak Djokovic has now won 12 grand slam titles at all four grand slam events (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open, and now French Open). Plus, he as completed the "Nole Slam" which means he holds all four grand slam titles at the moment and is halfway to a calendar slam. Novak Djokovic is playing some of the best tennis we have ever seen and by getting a career slam, he is now in serious consideration to be considered the greatest tennis player of all-time. The only other players to ever win a career slam in men's tennis are Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Rafael Nadal, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Roger Federer, and Fred Perry. If Novak Djokovic surpasses Roger Federer to win 18 career grand slams, there will be no debate that he's the greatest.
#2. Garbine Muguruza is for real: Reaching the 2015 Wimbledon final should have already tipped us off that Garbine Muguruza was the real deal, but winning the 2016 French Open title should erase any doubt. What makes her title even more impressive is the fact that she defeated Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 in the final. Serena Williams is chasing the all-time record for grand slam titles on the women's side and to take her out in straight sets is very impressive to say the least.
#3. Andy Murray can ball on the clay: Any questions about Andy Murray's prowess on the dirt should be answered after the way he played in Paris. He went all the way to the final and fell to a guy who might go down as the greatest to ever play. Murray has nothing to be ashamed of and should be feeling good heading into Wimbledon (I'll address this more in my Wimbledon preview).
#4. Shelby Rogers is on the rise: The 23 year old American Shelby Rogers came into Roland Garros ranked outside the Top-100, but that didn't stop her from making a run to the quarterfinals before falling to Garbine Muguruza. Shelby Rogers is definitely a player to keep an eye on as we head into Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
#5. Could this be the end for Rafael Nadal? Rafael Nadal withdrew from Roland Garros due to a wrist injury and he also withdrew from Wimbledon. He plans to return next month at Rogers Cup in Toronto and play in the Olympics, but even so, the accumulation of injuries and absences at grand slams makes me wonder how much longer we'll see the King of Clay play on the ATP Tour.
#6. Venus Williams is still hanging around: Venus Williams came into Paris as the #9 seed and lost to the #8 seed Timea Bacsinszky in the 4th round. Venus' ability to play at an elite level at her age is incredible and she should not be counted out at Wimbledon.
#7. Dominic Thiem is a guy to keep an eye on: Dominic Thiem came into Roland Garros as the #13 seed, but that didn't stop him from reaching the semifinals. It'll be interesting to see if Dominic Thiem can find similar success at future grand slams or if his run to the semis as Roland Garros was an anomaly.
#8. Agnieszka Radwanska was disappointing: Agnieszka Radwanska came into Roland Garros as the number two seed overall and she flamed out in the 4th round. That is not the kind of performance she was expecting to have. She better bounce back at Wimbledon.
#9. Stanislas Wawrinka couldn't get it done this time: The defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka lost in the semifinals to Andy Murray and was unable to defend his crown. Wawrinka definitely contended, but in the end, he couldn't replicate the magic he had last season. Maybe he would have been better served to face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. He seems to have Djokovic's number.
#10. The future of Maria Sharapova is unknown: Maria Sharapova didn't compete in the event due to her suspension for taking meldonium. During the same time as Roland Garros, Maria Sharapova was handed a two-year suspension by the ITF. I personally find the suspension to be harsh since meldonium is new on the banned substance list and it isn't entirely clear whether or not it has any performance enhancing effects. What is good for Maria Sharapova is that her sponsors Head and Nike among others are standing by her. Hopefully she'll get her suspension reduced and finish her career on a positive note. She has done a lot of good for the game of tennis over the years.
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