Report Card: Grading the French Open

Rafael Nadal continued his reign at Roland Garros, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. (Getty Images)

The second major of the season is in the books. Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova put up solid performances to hoist hardware at the French Open. Now its time to take stock of individual performances by handing out grades.

Rafael Nadal: A-plus. By now the numbers have been repeated over and over again. A record-breaking seventh Roland Garros title, he doesnt drop a set heading into the final, and he overcame adverse conditions and Novak Djokovics heavy hitting to come back from a break down in a rain interrupted final to close out the fourth set. The key to Nadals win? His intensity and focus when play resumed on Monday sent a clear message to Djokovic. He got the break back immediately and the Serb grew more and more frustrated with each game. Theres no doubt Rafa was the best man throughout Paris and hell leave the City of Lights with one thing hes been missing for a while: his swagger.

Maria Sharapova: A-plus. While Nadal did what he always does, Sharapova did what no one ever thought she could do: win the French Open after coming back from career-threatening shoulder surgery, a coaching change, a racket change and various tweaks to her technique. Who would have thought that Sharapova, famous for her uber-professionalism that can come across as guarded and icy, would provide the feel-good moment of the tournament? People may hate the shrieks and they may long for a more graceful game, but in Maria Sharapova, fans of womens tennis have the one thing that so many of the women lack: a hardened competitor who can will herself to win. Respect that.

Novak Djokovic: B-plus. Djokovic was nowhere near his best all tournament, yet he survived losing the first two sets to Andreas Seppi and saved four match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. And dont you dare think the eight-straight games he reeled off against Nadal in the final werent mental. With less than his A-game, Djokovic beat Roger Federer in straight sets and took a set off Nadal. The double faults in the final were problematic, but if anything, this tournament proved that Djokovic doesnt have to play lights out to make the final of a Slam. Thats a pretty scary thought.

Sara Errani: A-plus. Errani may have been the surprise finalist, but you cant say she didnt earn it. Much like Li Na last year, Errani had to beat some quality opponents on the way to her first Grand Slam final, including Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Angelique Kerber and Sam Stosur. While those players crumbled under the pressure and expectation, Errani was solid as a rock, and she continued that form in the final. She couldnt compete with Sharapovas power, but the Italian scrambled and scrapped as much as she could to make Sharapova earn the win. Weve become accustomed to seeing players shrink under the pressure of a Slam final. Sara Errani bucked that trend.

The Americans: C-plus. Talk about a great story that crashed and burned in a matter of 24 hours. After going 10 for 10 through the first two days of the tournament, the American women saw their numero uno, Serena Williams, suffer her first opening round loss at a Slam in ever. Two days later, John Isner, Americans Great Clay Hope, came out on the wrong side of another marathon match, effectively ending what was one of the most highly-anticipated American clay seasons in recent memory.To be fair, it was still a great tournament for Team America, with Melanie Oudin finally getting a win at a Slam, Brian Baker providing the feel-good comeback story, and Sloane Stephens and Varvara Lepchenko getting career results. But when your best prospects go out before the tournament even gets going, its hard to look at it fondly.

Sloane Stephens: A. The draw opened up for her and she did well to take advantage of it, making the fourth round without having to face any seeds, and she didnt even drop a set before losing to Sam Stosur. But lets chillax and not burden the kid with the expectation that has sunk the hopes of many an American phenom.

Brian Baker continued a remarkable comeback from injuries to push No. 12 Gilles Simon to five sets at the French Open. (Getty Images)

Brian Baker: A. Of all the anecdotes and tidbits that emerged to form The Brian Baker Story, this visual will remain my favorite: Baker loading up his bags into the trunk of his car, along with a stringing machine, to drive to a tiny challenger in Pennsylvania to start his comeback in the summer of 2011. No entourages, no federations, no help. Just a guy and his racket heading off to try to win matches.

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Report Card: Grading the French Open