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ROLAND GARROS – Alexander Zverev finally won his maiden Grand Slam title. It was a long time coming for the 29-year-old German.
And Flavio Cobolli, a worthy opponent in a non-classic but enthralling five-set battle, is into the top 10 for the first time.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN): No. 6 =============> No. 4 (A massive opportunity went 
begging for the 25-year-old Canadian during this fortnight, as he came up flat against Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals. As it happens, he might not even have had to play a semifinal before getting to the last day. But it wasn’t to be. Still, he moves up to a career high No. 4 in the rankings).
Flavio Cobolli (ITA): No. 14 =============> No. 10 (Cobolli had his chances against a nervous and cramping Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros final. But when he finally got his opportunities he, too, had physical issues. And in the end, he had to settle for second but still moves into the top 10 for the first time).
Casper Ruud (NOR): No. 16 =============> No. 14 (As with Auger-Aliassime, Ruud had an opportunity during this tournament to do a thing. He had been playing better of late. But he ran into the buzzsaw named Fonseca).
Jakub Mensik (CZE): No. 27 =============> No. 17 (A huge run for Mensik, who looked dead and buried early in the first week. But he’ll be disappointed in his performance in the semifinal against Zverev).
Rafael Jodar (ESP): No. 29 =============> No. 23 (Jodar, who had a breakout clay season, had a great run until he ran into Zverev in the quarters. Five-setters in the previous rounds against Alex Michelson and Pablo Carreño Busta depleted the reserves. At 19, the future is bright).
Joao Fonseca (POR): No. 30 =============> No. 25 (He’s the teen with the most attention, and expectations. And he’s handling it all beautifully. His effort against Novak Djokovic was a great one, his second comeback from two sets to none down in a row).
Alejandro Tabilo (CHI): No. 36 =============> No. 31 (Tabilo got a walkover from Valentin Vacherot and rolled to the third round, where he faced 17-year-old Moise Kouamé on Court Suzanne Lenglen and ended the kid’s hopes. He eventually fell to Auger-Aliassime).
Matteo Arnaldi (ITA): No. 104 =============> No. 34 (A rise from the dead, and a few marathons later, Arnaldi makes the Roland Garros semifinals – and then has to default because of a stomach virus. That latter fact will probably be remembered more. But he’s back).
Juan Manuel Cerundolo (ARG): No. 56 =============> No. 45 (The younger Cerundolo, who broke out early down in South America and then struggled to get back to that level, went further than his big brother, much more highly ranked, in Paris. He was down two sets and 5-1 to Jannik Sinner in the second round, and basically stood there while Sinner fell apart physically. And he backed it up with a marathon – five sets, four tiebreaks and 10-8 in the match tiebreak – against young Spaniard Martin Landaluce before losing to Matteo Berrettini. Good effort).
Matteo Berrettini (ITA): No. 105 =============> No. 48 (He’ll be devastated at having to retire against Arnaldi in the quarterfinals. But he’s back in the top 50 and he knows how to play on grass).
Zachary Svajda (USA): No. 85 =============> No. 62 (A surprise fourth round for the American, who moves to a new career high).
Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP): No. 89 =============> No. 71 (One of the band of veteran Spaniards at or near the end of their careers, the 34-year-old put on a show until he lost to 19-year-old countryman Jodar in the fourth round).
Jesper de Jong (NED): No. 106 =============> No. 83 (De Jong squeezed in as a lucky loser, ended Stan Wawrinka’s final Roland Garros and made it to the fourth round, where he lost to Alexander Zverev).
Jaime Faria (POR): No. 115 =============> No. 94 (Faria went through Shapovalov and Struff before falling … in five sets to Frances Tiafoe in the third round, out of the qualifying. A great effort from him).
Federico Cina (ITA): No. 238 =============> No. 185 (Cina, less known than the other “Next-Gen” types, qualified for his first main draw at a major by defeating Canadian Alexis Galarneau in a heartbreaker for the Canadian. It moves him into the top 200 for the first time).
Moise Kouame (FRA): No. 318 =============> No. 216 (the 17-year-old came into Paris with great fanfare, as the French are always looking for that next guy they HOPE might break through and do big things. He impressed with a straight-sets win over veteran Marin Cilic and won a fifth-set match tiebreak against quality clay-courter Adolfo Vallejo before falling to Tabilo. Unfortunately, he picked up an elbow issue and is out of the clay Challenger in Lyon he was planning to play this week).
Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) (No. 4)
Flavio Cobolli (ITA) (No. 10)
Rafael Jodar (ESP) (No. 23)
Juan Manuel Cerundolo (ARG) (No. 45)
Raphael Collignon (BEL) (No. 51)
Thiago Agustin Tirante (ARG) (No. 52)
Martin Landeluce (ESP) (No. 58)
Zachary Svajda (USA) (No. 62)
Daniel Merida (ESP) (No. 82)
Andrea Pellegrino (ITA) (No. 109)
Arthur Fery (GBR) (No. 141)
Stefanos Sakellaridis (GRE) (No. 156)
Juan Carlos Prado Angelo (BOL) (No. 161)
Moise Kouamé (FRA) (No. 216)
Darwin Blanch (USA) (No. 219)
Novak Djokovic (SRB): No. 4 =============> No. 7 (With the scant amount of tennis Djokovic plays, it’s even more impressive that he’s able to rock up and deliver quality tennis. He took care of French hopes Mpetshi Perrricard and Royer, before running into Fonseca. He won the first two sets, but eventually fell in five having given every ounce of what he had).
Frances Tiafoe (USA): No. 22 =============> No. 26 (Tiafoe won five-setters against Hubert Hurkacz and qualifier Jaime Faria. He then lost a late-night heartbreaker to Arnaldi in the round of 16. A lot of tennis, not nearly enough to show for it).
Tommy Paul (USA): No. 21 =============> No. 28 (Paul also lost a tough five-setter, to Casper Ruud in the third round. He was a quarterfinalist a year ago).
Gabriel Diallo (CAN): No. 49 =============> No. 54 (Diallo falls out of the top 50 for the first time in exactly a year. He retired against lucky loser Jesper de Jong with heatstroke in the first round, after making the second round a year ago. He’s been dealing with back woes and also the consequences of a confrontation with a shattered glass jar. Diallo is defending his ‘s-Hertogenbosch title this week on grass).
Sebastian Korda (USA): No. 47 =============> No. 60 (Just when it appeared Korda was healthy again, misses the entire clay-court season).
Holger Rune (DEN): No. 44 =============> No. 64 (Rune is still rehabbing that awful Achilles injury. And his vow to return for the clay-court season was, quite obviously, aspirational and not too realistic. The question remains: when will be come back? Grass feels like a slippery slope).
Daniel Altmaier (GER): No. 57 =============> No. 85 (Altmaier played great in defeat, but went out in five sets to Félix Auger-Aliassime in the first round. A year ago he upset Taylor Fritz – also the No. 4 seed – in the first round and ran a good draw into the round of 16).
Alexei Popyrin (AUS): No. 61 =============> No. 90 (Popyrin was shocked in the first round by Svajda, which hurts after he had a run to the second week a year ago).
Jack Draper (GBR): No. 75 =============> No. 112 (Draper didn’t play until Dubai this year, and then did do the Sunshine Double. But he lost his opener to Reilly Opelka in Miami, and retired in the first round of Barcelona. And hasn’t played since. Hopefully he’s ready for the grass, as he drops out of the top 100 for the first time since Sept. 2023 . In early match, he was No. 14).
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