Masters Class

Together, Madrid and Rome nearly qualify as a second clay major. With their smaller, higher-quality draws and fewer days of rest, they may even be tougher and more entertaining than the French Open. Still, their results won’t live as long in the public memory or feature as prominently in the game’s history books. But they’re worthy of a wrap-up. Before we turn our eyes to Paris, here’s a report card for the last two weeks of play.

On the men’s side, the Big 4 rated highly; two of them won the titles, and the other two made the finals. Did anyone still harbor a hope or a belief that their era might be coming to an end? If so, they’ve proven you wrong again. On the women’s side, we saw a shift in the tides of momentum among the Top 10, as two of last year’s Slam winners powered their way out of the doldrums and into French Open contention.

As always, I don’t review everyone; if you see someone who is missing, write your own grade into the comments below.

Novak Djokovic

Have we reached peak Djokovic? After getting stronger through the week at the Foro, and playing his best and most assured match of the year to beat Roger Federer for the title, his decision to skip Madrid now looks like the right one. In Rome, Djokovic put it all together against David Ferrer in the semis and Federer in the final. Everything he tried worked, and he didn’t show a trace of the uncertainty that has plagued him at times this season. A Djokovic with no hiccups or letdowns? That’s as good as tennis gets. Can he match the level he reached in the Rome final? The bad news for the rest of the field is that he probably doesn't need to. A

Maria Sharapova

After an early loss in Stuttgart and a late loss in Madrid, Sharapova won her first pre-Paris tune-up of 2015 in Rome. She has, finally, settled back in on her favorite surface, and made herself the second favorite for the French. She did it in a familiar way in the Rome final, by fighting point by point to grind her past an opponent who looked to be the superior player on the day. A

Andy Murray

There was, looking back, no reason that Murray should have taken this long to win a clay-court title. He’s patient, he can run, he can defend, he’s brutally consistent, and he can hit a heavy ball through the court. All of that finally came together for him, first in Munich and then in Madrid. At the Caja Magica, he caught Kei Nishikori in a deep-baseline web, and then slugged with abandon to both corners against Rafael Nadal in the final. Has marriage made Murray feel...more free? A

Petra Kvitova

Kvitova’s charge through the semis and final in Madrid, which included her first win over Serena Williams, was the best and most purposeful tennis we’ve seen from her since Wimbledon last year. In the process, she showed that a French Open title isn’t beyond her powers—in fact, she could probably do it without losing a set. Then, in Rome, where she lost in the quarters, she reminded us why this almost certainly won’t happen. A-

Carla Suarez Navarro

She’s no longer just a pretty shot anymore. Suarez Navarro’s unassuming, step-by-step progress has been one of the delights of 2015. Now the 5’4” Spaniard needs to make herself believe that she can stay with Serena, and finish off Maria. Because she can. A-

Svetlana Kuznetsova

A month shy of 30, Sveta can still surprise. Her long, late-night, back-from-the-brink run to the Madrid final, which included two wins in third-set tiebreakers, will go down as one of the year’s grittiest performances. A-

Roger Federer

In Madrid, he didn’t seem quite ready for the Nick Kyrgios barrage in his opener. In Rome, he caught fire against Berdych and Wawrinka, and hit his backhand exceptionally well all week. Then he faced Djokovic. B+

Daria Gavrilova

We’ve had a Baby Fed, so naturally we need a Baby Domi, right? I’m thinking yes after watching the energetic Gavrilova, who is now in the Top 50, for a week. Bonus points for bringing her interesting coach, Nicole Pratt. She gives the sideline visit a good name. B+

Simona Halep

At the start of the clay season, I would have been surprised to find out that Halep wouldn’t win any of the French Open tune-ups. But here we are. She can be brilliant, but when things start to go wrong for her at the wrong time, she has trouble turning the negative momentum around. B+

Kei Nishikori

He’s playing well, but he still has a Big 4 complex. His level dropped against Murray in Madrid, and Djokovic ran away from him in the third set in Rome. You can see why he has a Big 4 complex. B

Nick Kyrgios

He’s 20 years old, and he has wins over Nadal and Federer. That’s all we need to know for now. Unfortunately, Kyrgios understands this. Hopefully he wants to beat lesser players, too. B

Stan Wawrinka

Like Murray and Federer, Wawrinka has made his clay-court case. He did it by beating Nadal in Rome with some of the steeliest hitting of his career. Stan started the same way against Federer, but quickly watched it all go in the other direction. Like Kvitova on the women’s side, Wawrinka is an even bet to win the French Open, or lose in the first round. B

Victoria Azarenka

In finally finding her A game against Serena, she also ran into a new, Grade A problem: Closing out matches. Vika collapsed against Serena, and then nearly did it again more than once in Rome. Hopefully that will pass. More concerning was her one-sided loss to Sharapova at the Foro; Azarenka could only wish she had a chance to finish that one. B

Serena Williams

She's still the favorite for the French, but the similarity between her loss to Kvitova in Madrid and her loss to Garbiñe Muguruza at Roland Garros last year was a little too close for comfort. She told us she'd been struggling with her form on clay, and she was right. B-

Rafael Nadal

The Murray loss in Madrid was a one-off train wreck that could be quickly forgotten. But the Wawrinka loss in Rome seemed worrying, because Nadal gave it his absolute best, played pretty well, and still lost in straight sets. The things that usually lead to winning tennis for him—big forehand, great defense, major chest thump—didn’t work this time. Even a 6-2 tiebreaker lead didn't work. Rafa generated the momentum, but couldn’t capitalize on it. Was Stan just playing out of his mind, or does he represent a locker room that’s more confident against Nadal now, even on clay? We’ll find out very soon. B-

Tomas Berdych

Speaking of Big 4 complexes, Berdych’s losses to Rafa in Madrid and Rog in Rome weren’t unexpected, but even in this, perhaps his best season, he’s not getting closer to them. B-

Caroline Wozniacki

She went out to Azarenka early in Rome, and Sharapova a little later in Madrid. These were tough draws, but they also mean that, for now, Caro remains a notch below the big hitters. Maybe it was the power of suggestion, but I did think that she showed progress during her brief stint with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Now that's over, too. B-

Ana Ivanovic

At the start of the year, a few of us wondered if a bad loss or two could send Ivanovic tumbling back down the rankings ladder, and so it has (sort of) come to pass. Ivanovic is only down to No. 7, but she has fired her coach, is struggling in close matches, and spent the last two weeks spinning her wheels on clay. She lost to Suarez Navarro 6-4 in the third in Madrid, and Gavrilova 7-6 in the third in Rome. Does that last nervy defeat portend a steeper descent to come? C