TENNIS.com Top 25: June 10

Upsets blew open the women’s field in Paris, Serena endured physical issues, Rafa fell off his perch, and Silent Stan awoke. All the happenings made it an even more noteworthy French Open than usual—and the results at Roland Garros heavily influenced our latest Top 25.

1. Serena Williams (Previous: 3)

The flu. Opponents playing great. Tricky, varying conditions. Nothing stopped Williams at the French Open. When Serena finally calls it quits, she’ll look back on the two weeks and wonder: ‘How did I do that?’ More than a decade after the “Serena Slam,” her air of invincibility remains as high as ever.

2. Novak Djokovic (Previous: 1)

Oh, Nole. Djokovic did the hard part, or so many thought, by taking out Rafael Nadal in Paris. But the “Stanimal” resurfaced to deny the Serb a career Grand Slam. As well as Wawrinka played, Djokovic not having a day off between the conclusion of his semifinal and final, in my opinion, was a huge factor. Just check out players in that situation in the last 10 years at Slams and see how they fared.

3. Stan Wawrinka (Previous: 12)

Did Wawrinka get a slice of luck at the French? Of course. He landed in the easier half of the draw and went through the whole tournament virtually under the radar. He played freely. And when that happens, anything is possible. Somewhat incredibly, he now has the same number of Slams as Andy Murray.

4. Andy Murray (Previous: 2)

Murray didn’t do much wrong in the first two sets against Djokovic in the semis in Paris: When Djokovic plays that well, Murray is up against it. The Scot, though, is never one to throw in the towel. Not breaking in the first game of the fifth when Djokovic was on the ropes cost him.

5. Maria Sharapova (Previous: 4)

It was always going to be difficult for Sharapova to reach a fourth straight final in Paris—the last woman to accomplish the feat was Steffi Graf, from 1987-1990. A combination of factors, primarily Lucie Safarova and illness, led to her demise in the fourth round.

6. Lucie Safarova (Previous: Unranked)

Safarova is on to something. Her semifinal showing at Wimbledon last year, combined with reaching a first Grand Slam final in Paris, tells us how much she has progressed in the last 12 months. Hmm…could Safarova overtake fellow Czech Petra Kvitova in the rankings this year?

7. Roger Federer (Previous: 6)

Speaking of not having a day off between matches—that obstacle hampered 33-year-old Federer more than Djokovic. He simply wasn’t sharp in his quarterfinal against Wawrinka, while his compatriot most certainly was. Reaching the final, however, would have been a bonus for Federer. He knows if he’ll get one more major, it’ll probably come at Wimbledon.

8. Timea Bacsinszky (Previous: 11)

So Bacsinszky blew a set-and-break lead to Serena in Paris. She wasn’t the only one. Bacsinszky is a delight for a few reasons: She’s open with the media, plays with a smile on her face, and has a nice all-around game that includes a lethal drop shot. The Swiss aren’t too bad in tennis, are they?

9. Kei Nishikori (Previous: 7)

I’m not sure what happened to Nishikori in the first two sets against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. Did he freeze knowing he had a fine chance to make his first semifinal at Roland Garros? The potentially dangerous interruption at the end of the second set got him back in the match, but the damage had already been done.

10. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Previous: Unranked)

Tsonga has been criticized in the past for his shot selection and inconsistency, and rightfully so. But this is no time for that. What he did in Paris was remarkable. Even without playing much this year, Tsonga had pressure because he’s still the leader of the French pack. Then he went out and upset Tomas Berdych and Nishikori to reach the semis. Bravo, Jo.

11. Ana Ivanovic (Previous: Unranked)

Ivanovic experienced some good fortune at the French. Caroline Garcia, her potential third-round opponent, lost early. Then Simona Halep, in her quarter of the draw, made an early exit. Sensing her opportunity at a major, Ivanovic’s nerves nearly got the better of her, and she almost lost to Misaki Doi. But the Serb overcame that to end a seven-year semifinal drought at majors.

12. Carla Suarez Navarro (Previous: 5)

In one corner you had Flavia Pennetta, who has shown she can rise to the occasion at majors. In the other was Suarez Navarro, who entered her favorite Grand Slam fourth in the calendar-year standings. Pennetta prevailed at the French—and Suarez Navarro’s words afterward suggested she wasn’t all that surprised to lose given their past meetings. Disappointing.

13. Petra Kvitova (Previous: 10)

After Kvitova scraped past her first two opponents in Paris, she crushed Irina Camelia Begu in the third round. I thought: ‘She could be here for a while.’ But Kvitova’s stay was cut short by Bacsinszky in the ensuing round. It was neither good or bad from Kvitova as she readies for her Wimbledon defense, just mediocre.

14. Victoria Azarenka (Previous: 13)

I also thought that Azarenka, after getting close in Madrid, would topple Serena in Paris. And she was looking good for a set and a half. But what the end result showed—apart from how hard it is to put away Serena—is that while physically and game-wise Azarenka is making progress in attempting to return to old form, mentally she’s farther away. It’ll come.

15. Tomas Berdych (Previous: 9)

The French Open was a step backward for Berdych. He had been so consistent this season, and when he landed in the tamer section of the draw, a golden chance beckoned to at least reach the quarterfinals. He was, however, crushed by Tsonga. Time to call Ivan Lendl again to see if he’ll give Dani Vallverdu some company in Team Berdych?

16. David Ferrer (Previous: 19)

Like fellow Spaniard Nadal, not winning the first set in the quarterfinals cost Ferrer. He was even closer than Nadal, too, holding a pair of set points on Murray before the tiebreaker. No question it was the turning point. A quarterfinal is no shabby result, but losing to Murray on clay for the first time goes down as a disappointment for this dirtball extraordinaire.

17. Simona Halep (Previous: 8)

She does well outside the Grand Slams. But lately at the Slams, it hasn’t been good. That’s not a promising sign for Halep, who flopped at the French Open after also being upset at the Australian Open. It’ll take some convincing for this author—who picked Halep to win the French—to expect she’ll go deep at Wimbledon.

18. Rafael Nadal (Previous: 20)

Considered to have one of the best overheads in the business, missing one (and a fairly simple one at that) at 5-6, 30-15 in the first set cost Nadal against Djokovic in their much-hyped quarterfinal. Had he held, Nadal would have had the momentum in the tiebreak. But he didn’t, and he lost tamely in three sets and out went his five-season winning streak at the French. Time to regroup for the grass, beginning this week in Stuttgart.

19. Garbine Muguruza (Previous: Unranked)

Garbine Muguruza, nice to have you back. After a strong start to the year, the hard-hitting Spaniard tailed off in the last couple of months, affected by illness and injury. Muguruza seems to be a player for the big occasion, which bodes well for the future.

20. Sloane Stephens (Previous: Unranked)

At one stage in her loss to Williams in the fourth round at the French, Stephens jogged to her chair. The relevance? It’s more proof she’s making progress in her body language. Stephens’ flat, deep strokes caused the world No. 1 problems before a typical turnaround from Williams.

21. Sara Errani (Previous: Unranked)

Sara, you didn’t take a set off Serena at the French? Almost everyone else did. I jest, of course. Errani admitted that it was tough playing in Rome, where she tried to back up her result last year, but she rebounded by reaching the quarterfinals once again at Roland Garros.

22. Karolina Pliskova (Previous: 14)

A seemingly minor hiccup is turning into something more for Pliskova. After winning at home in Prague, she went south at the bigger tournaments in Madrid, Rome, and Paris. Her conqueror at the French wasn’t a known commodity, either, in Andreea Mitu. You suspect Pliskova will be happy to return to faster surfaces.

23. Jack Sock (Previous: Unranked)

His forehand never ceases to amaze. Sock was the last American man standing at the French Open, and he did take a set off Rafa. He said he enjoys playing on clay, but the grass and later hard courts won’t be bad for his explosive game, either.

24. Elina Svitolina (Previous: Unranked)

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first for Svitolina: She still can’t beat the big hitters. She just doesn’t—right now, anyway—have the weapons. We saw it against Ivanovic at the French, when her record against the Top 10 this year fell to 1-7 (just two sets won in the seven losses). But reaching a first Grand Slam quarterfinal is a significant milestone.

25. John Isner (Previous: 15)

Remember several years ago at the French Open, when Isner was considered a dark horse by some? The thought of him winning a major seems very far away now; Isner would take getting past the third round. He’s only done that once since making the quarters at the U.S. Open in 2011.

Dropped out: Milos Raonic, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Venus Williams, Nick Kyrgios, Daria Gavrilova, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.