Heading into the US Open, most of the headlines concerned Serena Williams. Now it's time to wonder whether Novak Djokovic is actually crafting a better 2015. The 28-year-old Serb won his third major of the season, beating Roger Federer in a rousing final. Here's our final post-Slam look at our weekly rankings.
No. 1 Novak Djokovic: What can you say? Djokovic went 27-1 in major matches this year, losing only to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final and coming incredibly close to a calendar-year Grand Slam.
No. 2 Roger Federer: Not a bad effort for a 34-year-old fellow. He just ran into a younger, stronger version of himself in the Open final. Federer was still better than the other 126 players who showed up for the first round.
No. 3 Andy Murray: It was an extremely disappointing tournament for Murray, who hasn't won a major in more than two years. His run of 18 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals appearances (in the events he played) was ended by Kevin Anderson, who won a fourth-set tiebreaker 7-0 in the longest match of the fortnight: 4 hours, 18 minutes.
No. 4 Stan Wawrinka Your 2015 French Open champion has become an elite player, so the standards have risen. He crushed a depleted Anderson in the quarterfinals, but went quietly in the semifinals, losing to Federer in straight sets. (Wawrinka beat his Swiss Davis Cup teammate in straight sets en route to the title at Roland Garros.)
No. 7 Rafael Nadal: For the first time in a decade, Nadal hasn't won at least one Grand Slam in the calendar year. Question is: Will we see any kind of rebound, or is this a sign of more woe for the 14-time major champion?
No. 14 Marin Cilic: For a player who struggled with a shoulder injury and had only competed in eight hard-court 2015 matches (4-4) coming in to the Open, Cilic had a terrific tournament. The 2014 champion ran his US Open streak to 12 match wins before falling (hard) to Djokovic in the semifinals. Cilic was slowed by a sprained ankle.
No. 13 John Isner: The 6-foot-10 former Georgia Bulldog worked hard to get off the court in his first three matches, going 8-for-8 in sets. He pushed Federer, losing in two tiebreakers and 7-5 in the fourth round. It was better than losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber again.
No. 28 Fabio Fognini: A typically fabulous fortnight for the 28-year-old Italian. He knocked off Nadal in a rousing five-setter in the third round. Then his fiancée, Flavia Pennetta, went out and won the women's title, beating the conqueror of Serena, Roberta Vinci.