10 things to look for at the 2022 Australian Open

 

The 2022 Australian Open begins on Monday (Sunday here in the United States), which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Obviously the biggest news surrounding this year's Aussie Open has been the visa status of Novak Djokovic, who ultimately lost his appeal and will not be playing. With that now confirmed, I can more easily analyze the men's field and give a more certain prediction. If you have not checked out the draws, click here to check those out. 

#1. Who will immediately benefit the most from Novak Djokovic's absence? With Novak Djokovic out of the tournament, Salvatore Caruso is replacing him as an LL (Lucky Loser). The tournament chose to initially include Djokovic in the draw as the number one seed and then when he was unable to play, they had to go to what's called a "Lucky Loser", someone who lost in the qualifiers but luckily still gets into the field thanks to someone pulling out. Djokovic's absence creates a wide open top portion of the draw with Matteo Berrettini the #7 seed now the odds on favorite in that section of the draw to reach the semifinals. We could easily see someone come out of nowhere to reach the semifinals and who knows, maybe even reach the final. With Djokovic now out, this creates a golden opportunity for someone. The question is who will make the most of it? 

#2. Can Ashleigh Barty handle the home pressure this time? If you are a loyal reader of this blog, you'll know that this question gets asked in every Australian Open preview. Barty frequently comes in ranked really high and the question is can she handle the pressure of being the crowd favorite in Australia. This year is no exception as she's the #1 player in the world and thus one of the favorites, if not the favorite to win it all. The furthest she's gone at the Australian Open is the semifinals back in 2020. In 2019 and 2021 she reached the quarterfinals, so she's been knocking on the door. Now it's a matter of her finishing the job. Can she do it under the spotlight of being the Aussie favorite? History says she won't, but maybe this year will be different. 

#3. Can Casper Ruud make a run? Casper Ruud is ranked #8 in the world out of Norway and yet for whatever reason he hasn't been able to make deep runs in grand slams. He's never reached the quarterfinals of a grand slam and the lone 4th round appearance he made was at the 2021 Australian Open. I would like to see him at least reach the quarterfinals this time and back up his ranking a bit. He's a guy who nobody talks about despite his high ranking because he never goes far in the slams. Let's see if he can change that this year. 

#4. Can Naomi Osaka defend her title as a double-digit seed? Naomi Osaka comes into the tournament as the #13 player in the world, which means she's a double-digit seed. She won the tournament last year, but this year poses a new challenge for her as she's not ranked in the top three coming in. That's going to give her a tougher draw out of the chute and not give her the same advantages she'd have if she were #1 or #2. Women's tennis is pretty fluid so in that sense it's not a huge deal what her seed is. Still, that being said, it'll be interesting to see if Osaka is able to outperform her ranking and make a serious run at the title. 

#5. Can Rafael Nadal get over the hump? Rafael Nadal has a golden opportunity in front of him with Djokovic unable to go and Roger Federer not playing. If Nadal wins the Australian Open he'll stand alone with the most grand slam titles ever on the men's side, breaking a three way tie he has with Federer and Djokovic who are also at 20. However, Nadal's lone Australian Open title came back in 2009, so it's been a while since he won this. If he were to win this event, it would probably be the most incredible grand slam title of his entire career. 

#6. Can Aryna Sabalenka back up her ranking? Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the #2 ranked player in the world and yet has never reached a grand slam final. She did reach back-to-back semis at Wimbledon and the US Open, but she still has to prove that she's as good as her ranking says she is. The furthest she's gone at the Australian Open is the 4th round, so this will be a good chance for her to show that she's made progress from last year. 

#7. Can Daniil Medvedev finish the job? Daniil Medvedev is #2 in the world and is coming off a 2021 US Open championship. He reached the final of the Australian Open last year and with Djokovic out of the picture, smart money picks him to go all the way. It'll be interesting to see if Medvedev can win a second consecutive slam and kick off 2022 in style. His game is well suited for hard court and he should be feeling confident. 

#8. How will Emma Raducanu perform? Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open and is ranked #18 in the world as a result. The 19 year old Brit has a bright future in front of her and there's no reason to doubt her abilities to win more slams in the future. That said, it's always interesting to see how first time slam winners do in their next slam appearance. A lot of them don't do so well. If Raducanu can make a run to the quarterfinals or better, that'll be really impressive. 

#9. What will Nick Kyrgios do? Nick Kyrgios always seems to find a way to make headlines Down Under given that he is in fact an Aussie. It would be fun if he made a bit of a run in this tournament and surprised people. For all his antics, he is fun to watch and brings more flair and personality to the sport. Hopefully he shocks the world a bit and reaches the 4th round or further. 

#10. Can Sofia Kenin win it again? Sofia Kenin comes in as the #13 ranked player in the world and the #11 overall seed. She won the Australian Open back in 2020 but lost in the 2nd round in 2021. She's got the pieces to go all the way, but after last year's tournament, I might be a bit reluctant to buy too much of her stock. This year will tell us a lot about her and her resiliency after having a disappointing outing in 2021. 

Prediction: I'm doing something new here by not weaving my prediction into the 10 things to look for. That way I can cover a bit more ground here. On the men's side, I'm going to pick Daniil Medvedev to go all the way. He should be favored and after winning the US Open, he has to feel confident in his abilities to win it all. However, like Raducanu, he too could succumb to the pressures that come with being a new grand slam champion. I guess I like his chances better than Raducanu because his ranking is more solid and he's got more of a body of work up to this point. 

On the women's side, I'm going to pick Garbiñe Muguruza. I did not mention her in my 10 things to look for, but that doesn't mean I don't like her chances. I think she'll win it all. She's #3 in the world, reached the Australian Open final in 2020, and of the top five seeds on the women's side, she's the one who I have the most faith in at the end of the day. Especially with Serena Williams not being in the field. 

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10 things to take away from the 2020 Australian Open

                                         (Credit: Australian Open) 

With the 2020 Australian Open now in the books, it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the first grand slam of the year. Enjoy!

#1. Novak Djokovic is the GOAT Down Under: Novak Djokovic picked up his 8th Australian Open title and his 17th grand slam title overall. He is 8-0 in Australian Open finals, once again reminding us that he owns this event. Something about the hard courts of Australia and the timing of the event brings out the very best in him. As a result of this title, Djokovic has reclaimed the world #1 ranking from Rafael Nadal. It's shaping up to be another fun race for #1 in 2020!

#2. Sofia Kenin is the real deal: Sofia Kenin showed she belonged among the world's best by winning her first grand slam title at the Australian Open. She defeated world #1 Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals and then defeated two-time grand slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza in the final. While other young Americans have struggled to win grand slams, Kenin got it done, becoming the youngest American to win a grand slam in 17.5 years (Serena Williams). Expect this to be the first of many grand slam titles for Kenin, who is now ranked #7 in the world.

#3. Dominic Thiem is knocking on the door: Dominic Thiem reached his third grand slam final, losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets. Thiem played a fabulous match against Djokovic and nearly pulled off the upset. While he didn't accomplish what we wanted to, Thiem is getting closer to winning his first grand slam. Defeating Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals has to give him a lot of confidence. Especially with the French Open coming up.

#4. Garbiñe Muguruza is back: Coming into the tournament as an unseeded player, Garbiñe Muguruza looked like a long shot to win the tournament. Instead, she showed why she's a two-time grand slam champion, reaching the final and forcing Kenin to beat her in three sets. Considering that she's won the French Open and Wimbledon, Muguruza should absolutely be considered a contender going into both events.

#5. Alexander Zverev made big strides: There have been a lot questions about Alexander Zverev over the last couple of years. He's been ranked as high as #3 in the world, but until this year's Australian Open, he had never reached a grand slam semifinal. That changed as he reached the semifinals, losing to Dominic Thiem in four sets. In order to reach the semifinal, Zverev had to beat former Australian Open and three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. Even though he came up short of his goal of winning it all, Zverev has to feel good about where he's at after such a strong tournament.

#6. Ashleigh Barty should have a strong 2020: Even though she didn't win it all, Ashleigh Barty should feel good about this tournament overall. She reached the semifinals losing to the eventual champion and for the most part backed up her #1 ranking. Look for her to be a real force come the French Open when she looks to defend her crown.

#7. Nick Kyrgios grew up: Even though he lost in the 4th round, Nick Kyrgios should feel good about his tournament. For starters, no shame in losing to Nadal. Secondly, he won a lot of fans with his classy play and his tribute to the late Kobe Bryant by wearing his jersey before the Nadal match. At just 24 years of age, Kyrgios appears to finally be figuring things out. Hopefully he can build on this and have a strong 2020 season.

#8. Naomi Osaka has some soul searching to do: Naomi Osaka went out in the 3rd round and saw her ranking fall to #10 in the world. After winning the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open, Osaka hasn't gotten back to the quarterfinals at a grand slam. I don't doubt that she'll figure things out and get back on track, but for now, she's gotta do a little soul searching and figure out how to get out of this grand slam funk.

#9. Roger Federer is still a force: Even though he lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, the very fact that Roger Federer reached the semifinals is a testament to his longevity and greatness. I don't see Federer threaten to win the French Open, but you can best believe he's eyeing Wimbledon with a lot of anticipation.

#10. Serena Williams should be disappointed: Serena Williams lost in the third round to Qiang Wang. First off, congrats to Wang on the huge win. I don't want to gloss over that. But as far as Serena is concerned, she's eying Margaret Court's record and to go out in the third round like she did is disappointing. She came in as the 8th seed and was picked by many (including myself) to win it all. Hopefully she'll regroup and make a stronger push at the French Open and beyond.

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10 things to take away from the 2017 Wimbledon Championships

Before I preview the 2017 US Open, I need to give my list of 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were at Wimbledon.

#1. Roger Federer reminded us that he's the GOAT: Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 to win his 19th grand slam title. By adding on to his record for most grand slam titles of all-time, Federer reminded the tennis world that he is the greatest to ever play the sport. I know there are those who will want to argue a case for Rafael Nadal or possibly Novak Djokovic, but make no mistake, Federer is the greatest of all-time and will be so long as he holds the record. I picked Roger to win the event and he delivered just as I thought he would.

#2. Garbiñe Muguruza is the real deal: Garbiñe Muguruza defeated Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0 to win her second grand slam title. With both a Wimbledon and French Open (2016) title under her belt, Muguruza is half way to a career slam, which is no small feat. In a sport that is very unpredictable, Muguruza is starting to maintain a fairly consistent presence at the grand slams.

#3. Marin Cilic is back to being a contender: After winning the 2014 US Open, many of us expected Marin Cilic to be a more consistent threat to win grand slams. Unfortunately for him, he has not been able to be the type of threat that we were all expecting. By getting back to a grand slam final, perhaps Cilic will finally find his groove and be able to make these kind of deep runs on a more regular basis.

#4. Venus Williams is still a threat: I've been saying for the last couple of years not to sleep on Venus Williams in a grand slam and especially at Wimbledon. Venus backed up my claims by reaching the final. While she came up short, she has to feel good about the tournament that she had. Especially when you consider that she is 37 years old.

#5. Sam Querrey was a pleasant surprise: Nobody would have predicted that Sam Querrey would have been a threat, but he proved the doubters wrong by making it to the semifinals. Whether or not Querrey has turned the corner or not remains to be seen, but it was nice to see him make such a deep run. He's a very beloved and well respected guy on the tour.

#6. Johanna Konta played well under the pressure: It's not easy to play at Wimbledon as a Brit when you consider all the pressure that they have to play under. This pressure didn't seem to faze Johanna Konta, who made a run to the semifinals. I picked her to win the whole thing, so I was disappointed to not see my prediction come to fruition. At the same time, it was also nice to see her make as deep of a run as she did.

#7. Rafael Nadal should feel good about he played: I know that a 4th round exit isn't what Rafael Nadal was hoping for, but when you consider all the early exits he's had at Wimbledon over the past few years, reaching the 4th round was much better than he had done in quite a while. Nadal is still playing elite tennis. It's just that grass isn't really his thing.

#8. Magdalena Rybarikova was the big surprise: Coming into the tournament as the #33 ranked player in the world, nobody saw Magdalena Rybarikova making a run to the semifinals. The WTA is where anything can happen and Rybarikova certainly proved that to be true. It will be interesting to see what kind of momentum Rybarikova can carry over to the US Open after such an impressive run.

#9. How much trouble is Novak Djokovic in? Novak Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych and has since been ruled out for the rest of the season due to an elbow injury. Djokovic is not living up to his standards and expectations, making us wonder whether or not we'll ever see the best of him again. 2017 is the most disappointing season Djokovic has had to date, putting a lot of pressure on him to right the ship in his 2018 campaign.

#10. Angelique Kerber had a disappointing outing: Angelique Kerber came into Wimbledon as the #1 ranked player in the world, but lost that ranking after losing in the 4th round to the eventual champion Garbiñe Muguruza. After winning two grand slams in 2016, Kerber is yet to win one in 2017. It appears as though the #1 ranking got to her head and put a lot of pressure on her.  It will be interesting to see if she plays better without the top ranking hanging over her.

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10 things to take away from the 2017 French Open

With the 2017 French Open now in the books, it is time for me to write my list of 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were at Roland Garros. While there were concerns coming in about the absences of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Roger Federer, it still proved to be an exciting event.

#1. Rafael Nadal is back: After having not won the title at Roland Garros since 2014, Rafael Nadal is once again the champion of the sole grand slam on clay, defeating Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in the final. Rafa has won 10 titles at Roland Garros and 15 grand slam titles overall. The King of Clay returned to excellence, dominating the event for two full weeks. Dominic Thiem, the man who everyone thought had a great chance at dethroning Nadal, fell in straight sets 3-6, 4-6, 0-6 when the two faced off. Regardless of what happens to Nadal the rest of the year, all appears to be right in the tennis world with him back on top at his favorite event.

#2. Jelena Ostapenko has arrived: At just 20 years of age, Jelena Ostapenko captured her first career grand slam title, defeating Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the final. With the title, she has now elevated herself to #12 in the world after coming into the event outside the Top 32. Ostapenko made some strides at the Australian Open, reaching the third round, but nobody saw this coming. The big question now is how will she respond at Wimbledon, which is only a couple of weeks away? I'll address that more in my Wimbledon preview, but for now I want to simply acknowledge that a new star may have been born in Jelena Ostapenko.

#3. Stan Wawrinka doesn't need to thrive at Roland Garros tune-up events: Stan Wawrinka failed to reach the quarterfinals at all three masters events on clay. However, that didn't stop him from reaching the final. I found Wawrinka's run to the final to be very impressive considering his lack of success on the dirt coming into the event. Wawrinka reminded us that he's a three-time grand slam champion for a reason.

#4. Can Simona Halep get it done? I hate to bring up the topic of choking when it comes to any elite level athlete, but with Simona Halep it's time we start addressing this head on. She's #2 in the world and lost to an unseeded player in the final. She's come close to winning grand slams on multiple occasions, reaching the French Open final twice (2014 & 2017) and the semifinals at Wimbledon (2014) and the US Open (2015) once.  But for whatever reason she has failed to win a grand slam title. After failing to capitalize on such a golden opportunity, it's fair to wonder whether or not she's got what it takes to win one.

#5. Will a French Open title always elude Andy Murray? Andy Murray doesn't have to prove anything to anybody. He has two Wimbledon titles and one US Open title. He's also reached the Australian Open final five times, so there's good reason to think he'll breakthrough down under at some point. As far as the French Open is concerned, he has found the least success there. He's reached the final just once (2016) and lost in the semifinals this year to Stan Wawrinka. I think it's fair to wonder whether or not Murray will ever be able to get it done at Roland Garros considering that it is by far his weakest grand slam event.

#6. Caroline Wozniacki blew a golden opportunity to win her first grand slam. Caroline Wozniacki lost to the eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 2-6, 2-6 in the quarterfinals, really blowing a golden opportunity to win her first grand slam title. The 11 seeded Wozniacki didn't have Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, or Victoria Azarenka to contend with. It was a wide open draw and a perfect opportunity for her to capture her first grand slam title. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to get the job done and truly does appear to be destined for a career without a grand slam title. She's becoming the modern day Tim Henman of women's tennis.

#7. Should we have expected more from Dominic Thiem? After defeating Rafael Nadal on clay earlier this season, many thought Dominic Thiem had good odds of giving Nadal a serious run for his money at Roland Garros. Unfortunately for Thiem, he fell to Nadal 3-6, 4-6, 0-6 in the semifinals, failing to put up much of a fight. While Thiem did have a good tournament overall, his inability to get one set off of Nadal is pretty disappointing considering all the hype he had coming into the event.

#8. Would Maria Sharapova be the champion had Roland Garros let her play? I don't want to take anything away from Jelena Ostapenko, who had a fantastic event and deservedly won her first grand slam title. All the same, I can't help but wonder whether or not Maria Sharapova would have won the event considering how weak the field was. I guess we'll never know.

#9. How much trouble is Novak Djokovic in? Going down in the quarterfinals is not how Novak Djokovic wanted the French Open to go. The addition of Andre Agassi to his team did not produce the desired results. After falling in the 2nd round at the Australian Open and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, Djokovic finds himself as the #4 player in the world. With Wimbledon only a couple of weeks away, he better find some answers fast before he's looking back on early exits in the first three grand slams of the year.

#10.  Garbiñe Muguruza didn't do a good job defending her title. After winning the French Open last year, many expected another deep run from Garbiñe Muguruza. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, she got bounced in the 4th round by Kristina Mladenovic. While a 4th round exit isn't terrible, Muguruza didn't live up to her standards, either. She knows she should have done a better job defending her title. Especially considering the absences of so many top players.

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10 things to look for at the 2017 French Open

The French Open at Roland Garros begins on Sunday, May 28 and so it’s time for me to list my 10 things to look for at the second Grand Slam of the tennis season. Click here to view the seeds. Click here to view the draw.

#1. Can anyone stop Rafael Nadal? Rafael Nadal comes into Roland Garros having won clay titles at Monte Carlo (ATP 1000), Barcelona (ATP 500), and Madrid (ATP 1000) while also reaching the semifinals at Rome (ATP 1000) before falling to Dominic Thiem, who is the #6 seed at Roland Garros.

While he is seeded #4, Nadal comes into this event as the heavy favorite to win. Andy Murray has never won the French Open, Novak Djokovic has just one title all season at Doha, which is an Australian Open tune up, Stan Wawrinka failed to reach the quarterfinals at all three ATP 1000 Masters events on clay, and Roger Federer is skipping the event.

Given Nadal’s historical success at Roland Garros and the lack of anyone really emerging as a serious contender, it will be a major disappointment for Nadal and his camp if he doesn’t walk away with his 10^th French Open title.

#2. How much will the absence of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova hurt the women’s competition? Serena Williams will not play in the French Open due to her pregnancy and Maria Sharapova was denied a wild card because of her suspension for doping. Sharapova is eligible to play on the WTA Tour again, but the only way she could have gotten into the French Open this season was through a wild card since her ranking isn’t high enough to play in the qualifying rounds.

With Serena Williams unable to compete, Maria Sharapova’s presence could have given the women’s draw a real boost in terms of ratings and interest. While the French Tennis Federation did what was perhaps the morally right thing to do, they certainly weren’t thinking of their fans or ratings when they decided to not grant her a wild card. If the women’s tournament suffers from a lack of ratings and ticket sales, the decision to not give Sharapova a wild card may come back to haunt the event.

#3.  Is Dominic Thiem the best hope to knock off Rafael Nadal? With Murray, Djokovic, and Wawrinka all looking like long shots to upset Nadal, most people see Dominic Thiem as the guy with the best chances of taking out the King of Clay. Thiem took out Nadal in the quarterfinals at Rome, but lost to Nadal in the previous two clay events in Barcelona and Madrid. Since he has faced Nadal a lot recently and can say he’s beaten him on clay earlier this season, I give Thiem a puncher’s chance at taking out Nadal at Roland Garros, but nothing more than that.

Note: If Thiem were to face Nadal, it would be in the semifinals after a projected quarterfinal match against Djokovic.

#4. Can Angelique Kerber go the distance?  Angelique Kerber comes into this event as the #1 player in the world and with both Serena and Sharapova out, she is on paper the heavy favorite to win it all. The biggest hurdle she faces could be herself. The furthest she’s gone at Roland Garros is the quarterfinals and that was back in 2012. The only player who might be considered the favorite ahead of Kerber is Garbiñe Muguruza, who won the event last year. Unless it’s Muguruza who takes her out, it will be a major disappointment if Kerber doesn’t go all the way.

#5. Will Andre Agassi make the difference for Novak Djokovic? One of the major headlines coming into the French Open is defending champion Novak Djokovic’s decision to hire Andre Agassi as his coach. It’s unclear how long Agassi will work with Djokovic, but he will be his primary coach for the French Open at least. A lot of people see this move as an act of desperation on Djokovic’s end, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad decision. As a player who also most excelled on the hard courts, Agassi can relate well to Djokovic as he tries to go about finding more success on the dirt. Given their similarities, this could be a good pairing.

#6. Will Petra Kvitova make a run? After being sidelined for an extended period of time due to a robber stabbing her hand with a knife, the fact that Petra Kvitova can compete is a miracle and fantastic news. She’s currently the #15 seed and will be making her season debut. The furthest she’s gone at Roland Garros is the semifinals back in 2012, so if I can be honest, I have a hard time seeing her find that same level of success this year.

#7. Can Andy Murray get back to the Final? Andy Murray lost to Novak Djokovic in the final last year. As the #1 seed, Murray has a great shot of getting back for a second straight year. Nadal, Thiem, and Djokovic are all on the opposite side of his draw, which is obviously good news. The biggest threat on his side appears to be Stan Wawrinka and he hasn’t exactly lit the dirt on fire this clay season.

#8. Can Garbiñe Muguruza defend her title? As the defending champion, Garbiñe Muguruza is the biggest threat to Angelique Kerber in this event. She comes in as the #4 seed and would face Kerber in the semifinals should they meet. While I agree that Kerber should be the favorite considering her ranking and recent success, it’s pretty tough to pick against Muguruza at this event. She won it last year and seems to enjoy the clay as much as anyone in the women’s draw.

#9. Will anyone from France step up?  #31 Gilles Simon, #28 Caroline Garcia, #24 Richard Gasquet, #16 Lucas Pouille, #15 Gaël Monfils, #13 Kristina Mladenovic, and #12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are the seeded players from France in both the men’s and women’s draws. At every Grand Slam, players from the home country always have a bit more pressure on them to deliver the goods and represent their country with pride.

Sadly for France, they’ve not had a champion at Roland Garros in quite a while. Yannick Noah is the last Frenchman to win the event back in 1983 while Mary Pierce is the last Frenchwoman to win the event back in 2000. Odds look slim that either drought will end this year.

#10. Can Karolina Pliskova back up her ranking? Karolina Pliskova is ranked #3 in the world and with Serena Williams out, she’s the #2 seed at Roland Garros. She’s been playing some fantastic tennis as of late, reaching the final of the 2016 US Open and the quarterfinals of the 2017 Australian Open.

However, she’s not found success at Grand Slams away from the hard courts, failing to get past the second round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On the clay this season, her results haven’t given us any reason to think she’ll have much improvement. She lost in the quarterfinals at Stuttgart, the Round of 32 in Prague, the Round of 32 in Madrid, and quarterfinals in Rome. If I can be honest, I’ll be surprised to see her survive into the second week.

Predictions: As far as my predictions go, I have Rafael Nadal defeating Andy Murray in the men’s final 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to win his 10^th French Open title. In the women’s draw, I have Garbiñe Muguruza defeating Simona Halep in the final 6-4, 6-3 to win her second French Open title.

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10 things to take away from the 2016 French Open

   
     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.

2015 Wimbledon Women's Singles Final: Serena Williams vs. Garbine Muguruza

                                         (Credit: Katherine Shann. Click here for source) 
   
     The women's Wimbledon singles final between world #1 Serena Williams and world #20 Garbine Muguruza is on Saturday at 8:00 AM EST on ESPN. While Muguruza is making her own kind of history by reaching her first grand slam final, Serena Williams is playing for something much bigger. She is playing to win her 21st grand slam title, which would close the gap on Margaret Court, who has 24 grand slam titles, the most all-time. She is playing to complete her second "Serena slam", which is winning four straight grand slam titles regardless of what year they were completed in. Lastly, she is playing to keep her calendar slam hopes alive, which is winning all four grand slam titles in a single season.

     Based on both their career achievements as well as what they have accomplished in the past season, it is clear that Serena Williams is the favorite to win this match. Anybody picking Muguruza to win would be predicting an upset of epic proportions. Not because Muguruza can't win, but because of what Serena Williams has at stake.

     Serena Williams is playing to become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win the calendar slam. She is playing to solidify herself as the greatest player in the history of women's tennis. If she were to lose, we would fail to see one of the greatest achievements in the history of sports, let alone tennis. There is so much riding on tomorrow's match from a historical perspective, that a loss for Serena Williams would be historically catastrophic.

     As for the tournament itself, here is how both players got to the final: Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus Williams in the fourth round, Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals, and Maria Sharapova in the semifinals. As for Muguruza, she defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round, Timea Bacsinszky in the quarterfinals, and Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals.

   

   

                                         (Credit: Celebwax.com. Click here for source) 
            
     While Muguruza appears to have had the easier draw, it should be noted that Caroline Wozniacki, Timea Bacsinszky, and Agnieszka Radwanska were all ranked higher than her going into this tournament. While the players she defeated aren't as good as Azarenka and Sharapova, Muguruza still deserves a ton of credit and respect for defeating three players ranked higher than her to reach the final. We shouldn't hold her draw against her at all when it comes to predicting who wins tomorrow. She played the draw she was given and so far has delivered the goods.

     If one were to make an argument for why Muguruza is going to win on Saturday, it would be because she has take down some really good players and has also defeated Serena Williams in one of their three meetings. That one meeting came in the second round of the 2014 French Open in which Muguruza won by the score of 6-2, 6-2.

     While it was on a different surface, it remains true that Muguruza has seen herself win a grand slam match against Serena Williams. The fact that she has done this has to give herself tremendous confidence going into Saturday's final. Not many players can say that they have won a grand slam match against Serena Williams on any surface, which puts Garbine Muguruza in rare company.

     That all being said, I still have Serena Williams winning this match in straight sets. I think Muguruza will give Williams a good fight, but in the end, we will see Williams come out victorious. Williams has too much at stake and also holds a 2-1 edge in the head-to-head, with both wins coming on hard court, a surface closer to grass than clay.

     If Muguruza is able to win the opening set, she'll definitely have a chance, but even then, one has to pick Serena Williams to win. Serena Williams had her toughest test in the third round against Heather Watson in which she trailed 0-3 in the third set and had to squeak it out 7-5. Serena Williams has been in as tough of a hole as she could realistically be in and she still came out victorious. The scary thing for Muguruza is that there is nothing she can do to give herself a "safe" lead. Unless she wins a championship point, Serena Williams will be favored to win all the way.

     I don't mean to make it come off like Muguruza has no chance of winning. She absolutely does. She is a top-20 player who is on the verge of cracking the top-10! She absolutely has a chance of winning! The problem is that she has no better chance than anybody else who has faced Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Every time a player puts the pressure on Serena Williams, Serena finds a way to deliver the goods and get the job done. Nobody is mentally tougher than Serena Williams, and that more than anything is why she is going to win.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy for tennis news