Which was a Bigger Surprise: Clijsters at Australian Open 2010 or Henin at French Open 2010?

After their highly successful return to Grand Slam play, the two recently un-retired former #1 players from Belgium fell short of fans and about everyone's expectations in the second Grand Slam tournaments of their comeback. Kim Clijsters won her second Grand Slam on just her 3rd tournament after coming back at the US Open in September 2009 but she won just 1 game in a 0-6, 1-6 loss to Nadia Petrova in the 3rd round of Melbourne.

Justine Henin reached the finals of the Australian Open in January and pushed world #1 Serena Williams to a third set in just her second tournament after coming back. She was touted as a heavy favorite to win the French Open having won the event four times prior, but she lost to eventual finalist Samantha Stosur in the round of 16.

Which was a bigger surprise, Clijster's 3rd round loss or Henin's 4th round loss? I think the latter was more of a shock. Sure, Stosur had very good results on clay this year, and she did reach the semifinals of the French Open last year, but who would have expected that she beat Henin in her own backyard?

I also think that the successful Grand Slam returns of the two Belgian players are more due to their ability to play in big situations as opposed to them being in top form. It probably is too much to expect them to have consistent great results in the Grand Slams after just a few months into their comeback. Expectations should be greater (or maybe more realistic) after a full season on the tour.

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Non-Grand Slam winners Leading Year-to-Date Rankings

Three non-Slam winners are leading the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships Singles Standings after 2 Grand Slams, and half-way through the 2010 season. Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic, and Samantha Stosur are #1, #2, and #3 respectively in the year-to-date rankings as of June 7, 2010. The elder Williams and Jankovic did not even contest a Grand Slam final this year. Serena Williams, the Australian Open champion and Francesca Schiavone, the French Open champion, occupy the 4th and 5th places, respectively.

Venus Williams is at the top of the list due to strong performances in three Premier-level tournaments. She won the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in February and was runner-up in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami and the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open in Madrid. Her rankings points from these 3 tournaments account for more than 60% of her total ranking points for the year. She has under-performed in this season's Grand Slams losing in the quarterfinals in Melbourne and the fourth round in Roland Garros.

Jelena Jankovic is in close second place by virtue of strong performances in 2 Premier-level tournaments and a semifinal finish in the French Open. She won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and finished and was runner-up at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. These 2 tournaments and her semifinal finish combine for more than 75% of her total ranking points for the year.

There is a possibility that a non-Grand Slam title holder will again rise to the world #1 ranking for the year. After the rather un-popular #1 stints of Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina, should the WTA add another rule to implement that only a current Grand Slam champion should be #1 in the world? It doesn't matter for those below #1, but the title of top-ranked women's tennis player should come with the proven ability to win (and not just do well) in at least one of tennis' four most prestigious tournaments during the ranking calendar.

The list below is the top-10 ranked players in the year-to-date rankings.

1 Williams, Venus USA = 3585
2 Jankovic, Jelena SRB = 3437
3 Stosur, Samantha AUS = 3422
4 Williams, Serena USA = 3355
5 Schiavone, Francesca ITA = 3192
6 Henin, Justine BEL = 2855
7 Wozniacki, Caroline DEN = 2662
8 Dementieva, Elena RUS = 2602
9 Peer, Shahar ISR = 2280
10 Li, Na CHN = 1927

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