Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/560492
16 ITFWORLD SUMMER 2015 to work in a hotel, her tennis career seemingly over. Now, with a first major semifinal run she was set to crack the Top 20. Her tale is one of the stories of the season so far. As for Safarova, her run was just rewards for 13 years of near-misses. She strung together a remarkable fortnight in Paris, ending the hopes of Maria Sharapova before posting wins over Muguruza and a resurgent Ana Ivanovic in the semis. As the Grand Slam circus rolled across the English Channel, Serena once more dominated the narrative. In the third round at Wimbledon she came within two points of bowing out to Heather Watson in one of the matches of the tournament. Then she overcame three former Grand Slam champions in the form of sister Venus, Azarenka and Sharapova. In the other half of the draw Muguruza negotiated a testing route to her first major final, capturing fans' hearts with each passing round. While defending champion Petra Kvitova fell to Jelena Jankovic, Muguruza downed Angelique Kerber in the third round in a match of the highest quality before dispatching Caroline Wozniacki, Bacsinszky and Agnieszka Radwanska. In the final Muguruza produced some of the blistering, nerveless tennis that defined her breakout tournament. But once Serena got a read on her game there was only one outcome. At 33, she became the oldest major winner in the Open era. "Don't be sad," Serena told Muguruza. "You'll be holding this trophy very, very soon." It's hard to argue. Just one player has come close to matching Serena's steps this season: fellow world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. As the Wimbledon winners shuffled to 'Night Fever' at the champions' dinner, delighting the crowd by reviving an old tradition, it was easy to wonder what might have been for Djokovic. The man from Belgrade has had a 2015 to remember, and if not for an inspired Stan Wawrinka in the Roland Garros final he too could be headed to New York with a calendar Grand Slam on the line. Ahead of the French Open it was Djokovic's bid to complete his Grand Slam jigsaw that dominated the headlines. As usual, he had prepared expertly for the elusive major, leaving no stone unturned. While he captured the big warm-up titles in Rome and Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal, the man he was seeking to dethrone, had suffered five losses on clay in the build-up. Would this be the year the Spaniard relinquished his crown? By the quarterfinals we had an answer: yes. Djokovic cruised past Nadal in straight sets, handing the nine-time champion just his second loss in 71 matches at Roland Garros. "I gonna fight," Nadal promised. "I lost in 2009 and that was not the end. I lost in 2015 and it is not the end." Next up for Djokovic was Andy Murray, a man enjoying an inspired season on what is regarded as his least favourite surface. Both players were unbeaten on clay heading into their semifinal clash, and after two days and five sets it was Djokovic who emerged victorious. One more win and Roland Garros would, finally, be his. Standing in his way, however, was Wawrinka. The Swiss had weaved his way past Gilles Simon, Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach just his second Grand Slam final and a first in the French capital. Home fans cheered Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to the semis in Paris Mike Bryan and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the Roland Garros mixed title Agnieszka Radwanska reached the Wimbledon semifinals Timea Bacsinszky shone at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon ROLAND GARROS AND WIMBLEDON