Rating Roland Garros

Normally, when a major tournament is over, I regret that so many matches, performances and stories from the previous two weeks are instantly buried by the avalanche of analysis surrounding the finals. That's not as true this time. The 2016 French Open ended on a pair of up notes—Garbiñe Muguruza’s first Slam win and Novak Djokovic’s long-awaited first French Open win—but the tournament was lucky just to keep its head above water long enough to see those breakthroughs happen.

It’s not often that we move onto the grass-court season, most of which takes place in Great Britain, hoping for sunnier weather. Before we do, here’s a look back at how the major players in Paris measured up. If you see someone or something I’ve missed, feel free to give your assessment in the comments below.

For example: I didn't catch Alizé Cornet's now-legendary theatrical cramping incident against Tatjana Maria. Normally I get a kick out of Cornet's dramatics, but these sounded like they could have earned her a red card.

Novak Djokovic

His self-assurance, under what we assumed would be an Everest of pressure, was striking. Despite being down a set to Roberto Bautista Agut in the fourth round, Djokovic spent a rain delay frolicking in Chatrier under a spectator’s umbrella. And after squandering two match points in the final, and nearly giving away a seemingly insurmountable lead to a fired-up Andy Murray, Djokovic said he walked back to serve and told himself, simply, “OK, now you’ve got to do it.” And of course he did. There’s no one within a country mile of Djokovic at the moment, and he knows it.

With this win, he enters a new phase at age 29. By securing a career Grand Slam, Djokovic has filled the last hole in his résumé and put himself on the same historical plane as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. By winning four majors in a row, he has also done something they haven’t. Now two more chases begin for Djokovic: toward a calendar-year Grand Slam—or even a Golden Slam—in 2016, and toward Federer’s men’s-record 17 major titles. Can Djokovic, who has 12 Slams, get there? Let him answer:

“I don’t mean to sound arrogant,” he said on Sunday, “but I think everything is achievable in life.”

After his last 12 months, would you dare to doubt him? A+

Garbiñe Muguruza

Is Muguruza about to take off like a rocket and not come down for years, or was this title just one of the high points in what will be a roller-coaster career? So far, while the sample size is small, the evidence points to the latter; her ups have always been followed by downs, and her downs followed by ups. But it would be nice to think that this 22-year-old could spend the next decade near the top of the sport. The powerful, proactive game; the polish and poise; the upbeat mix of confidence and verve (when things are going well): Muguruza is a star who has just begun to shine. But here’s hoping that she, and we, remember the lesson of her first Grand Slam win: When the next dip does happen, stick to the plan and the results will come back. Big results, in her case. A+

Andy Murray

He painted a masterpiece on clay when he dethroned Stan Wawrinka in the semis. Then he was worn down and pushed around again by Djokovic. Still, this was Murray’s best effort at the French, and I’ll remember it for the way his semifinal performance left him nearly speechless afterward. At 29, Murray is still growing, on court and off. A

Serena Williams

Like her fellow 34-year-old, Federer, the Slam finals that once were automatic are proving to be much trickier now. This was the second major in a row that Serena lost to a first-time champion, and the third straight time she went out on the final weekend—that never used to happen. As far as declines go, it could certainly be worse, and Serena was compromised physically in this one. On the positive side, it took her four Slams to tie Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova at 18; maybe that’s what it will take her to tie Steffi Graf at 22. On the minus side, she’s two years older now than she was then. A-

Dominic Thiem

Yes, the ATP has a future, especially on clay. This was the French Open we expected from Thiem. He showed off all of his ball-striking firepower, before having it extinguished by Djokovic in the semis. At 22, he’s right where he should be. A-

Kiki Bertens

The world No. 58 beat Angelique Kerber, Daria Kasatkina, Madison Keys and Timea Bacsinszky, and she did it with an almost casual clear-headedness—see ball, hit it where you want it to go. Bertens was heading in the same direction against Serena in the semis, until she reached set point. Then she wasn't as casual or clear-headed. I liked Bertens’ “How the heck did this happen?” reaction after she beat Bacsinszky. But her “I’m happy with my performance” reaction after her loss to Serena made me think she could have gone farther, if only she could have made herself believe it was possible. A-

Stan Wawrinka

Stan, who has reached the quarters or better at seven of the last eight Slams, is able to find his game on command these days. After doing little for months, and nearly going out in the first round in Paris, he mowed down the field until the semis. And Murray needed his best to beat him there. B+

Sam Stosur

Wins over Lucie Safarova and Simona Halep showed us that the Aussie hasn’t lost her odd love for Parisian clay. B+

Yulia Putintseva

What was the pint-sized Putintseva doing in a Grand Slam quarterfinal? Pushing Serena to the limit, and lighting up an otherwise dreary Chatrier with her grit, theatrics, and laughter. Afterward, the 21-year-old proved herself to be a poet of self-awareness, too. “I think the match was very close and very far from being on my side,” she said. Either way, it was fun to watch. B+

Shelby Rogers

From No. 108 to the French Open quarterfinals: It was a dream run for the oft-injured 23-year-old from South Carolina. Her controlled power and clutch serving almost won her a set from Muguruza, too. Hopefully she finds that encouraging; she should. B+

Richard Gasquet

It ended badly for Richard G., as we knew it would. After threatening to go up two sets to love on Murray, he collapsed. But his first quarterfinal run in 13 tries at his home Slam was glorious while it lasted. That qualifies as progress. B+

Albert Ramos-Viñolas

The spontaneous joy that this mild-mannered Spaniard showed in beating Milos Raonic to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal was the tournament’s expressive peak. B+

David Goffin

The Belgian gets to the door, but he can’t walk through it. Against Djokovic in Miami, he had a set all but won, but couldn’t put away the easiest of overheads to close it. In the quarters in Paris, he had a two-set lead over Thiem all but sewn up, but he couldn’t put away the easiest of forehands. Then he went flat. Goffin has learned how to mix it up with the big boys this year; now he needs to deliver a knockout blow. B

Roberto Bautista Agut

He nearly pushed Djokovic to a fifth set; that may have been the achievement of the fortnight. B

Naomi Osaka

Two majors, two third-round appearances: Not bad for an 18-year-old. She has the shots; now she has to learn to select them. B

Simona Halep and Agnieszka Radwanska

Forced to play in wet conditions, each gave up an early lead in their fourth-round match and lost to a lower-ranked player. I thought at the time that they should have handled the situation better, and that would have been ideal. But they also shouldn't have been out there in the first place. B-

Milos Raonic

In retrospect, hiring John McEnroe, a relentless aggressor, as a grass-court mentor was well-timed. Raonic’s passive performance in his loss to Ramos-Viñolas was a step back in more ways than one. C+