First Serve: May 23 - June 6

Reading between the lines: TENNIS.com's Monday morning quarterback recaps last week's pro tennis action—and offers his reaction.

Last Week's Tournaments

The Past
Sam Stosur wasn’t at her best in the French Open final, but, in a refreshing change for a women’s French Open final, it wasn’t because of nerves. The Aussie was beaten by the better player that day, Francesca Schiavone, who played a near-perfect match to win her first Grand Slam title. The straight-sets score, 6-4, 7-6 (2), is also deceiving: This was an entertaining match from start to finish, worthy of a major final showdown. All too often, women’s Slam finals have been marred because one of the players couldn’t cope with the pressure. On Saturday, it was the pressure Schiavone applied that determined the outcome.

The Present
Robin Soderling continued to impress in Paris, reaching his second career Grand Slam final. Is he, and not Andy Murray—who’s also been shutout in his two major final appearances—the best player without a Slam title to his credit? Soderling is more on the rise, but Murray has won seemingly every tournament short of a big one. The debate will continue into the summer: The shorter bounces on grass should trouble 6-foot-4 Soderling at Wimbledon, while Murray showed signs of cracking in Australia, and the pressure will only mount at the All England Club.

The Future
The argument goes like this: Roger Federer can’t be considered the greatest player of all time if he has a lopsided losing record against someone from his own era. But Rafael Nadal fans, I ask you this: What if Rafa runs into a player who he can’t beat at Roland Garros in the coming years—would Nadal still be worthy of the clay GOAT crown? It turned out not to be the case this year, when Nadal evened the score against Soderling at Roland Garros, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen in the future. In a sport of one-on-one competition, one player has to win, and it’s inevitable that an opponent will have a player’s number from time to time. Just appreciate both Federer and Nadal for what they are: talents who will be sorely missed once they’re gone.

Ed McGrogan is an assistant editor for TENNIS.com.