Updated: May 21, 2012, 6:48 PM ET

Tennis Power Rankings

Month:

The culmination of the clay-court season is mere moments away. Roger Federer won Madrid. Rafael Nadal ruled in Rome (among others). And Novak Djokovic, well, he's your No. 1 player in the land. In other words, the French Open ought to be good.

The veteran gals are doing it, too. Serena Williams bludgeoned her foes on the blue of Madrid, while Maria Sharapova won an absolute thriller at the Italian Open.

So the stars are shining brightly as we head into Paris. But who are the faves, you ask? Ravi Ubha knows. And, if you read carefully, he'll tell you.

2012 Power Rankings: May
RANK	PLAYER	TRENDING	COMMENT
1	Serena Williams	7 Last Month: 8	Serena Williams said in Charleston she really wanted to win the French Open again. We're seeing how much. Williams hasn't tasted defeat on clay this season. An ankle injury contributed to her unexpected exit in Melbourne, so not taking any chances with a lower-back injury in Rome made perfect sense.
2	Rafael Nadal	1 Last Month: 3	Playing at home should be fun for Rafael Nadal. But in Madrid, it's not. Nadal and Novak Djokovic led the way in criticizing the much-discussed blue courts. A week and a half later in Rome, Nadal was in great spirits, making it two straight wins over Djokovic. With that W, he's the clear favorite at the French Open.
3	Novak Djokovic	2 Last Month: 1	Novak Djokovic wasn't in the right frame of mind to tackle Nadal in Monte Carlo. In Rome, Djokovic's head was in a better place -- but not his consistency on the court. After breaking back early in the first set, he let Nadal off the hook in the rest of the set. It's a blow to the Serb ahead of the French.
4	Roger Federer	-- Last Month: 4	Roger Federer, with minimal fuss, outskated the rest of the field at the Madrid Masters. Given he'd been out of action for about six weeks, it was a confidence-booster. Despite a rather lopsided loss to Djokovic in the Rome semis, he'll be content with his French Open prep.
5	Victoria Azarenka	3 Last Month: 2	Hmm, let's see here: Azarenka thumps an opponent only to then withdraw with a shoulder injury. Back to her old ways? With the French Open looming and given the amount of tennis she's played this year, we'll give Vika the benefit of the doubt.
6	Maria Sharapova	-- Last Month: 6	Maria Sharapova continues to be resilient. After a crushing defeat to Williams in Madrid, the Russian put her head down, got back to business and collected a second clay-court title of the season in Rome. Yes, she got a little help from Li Na.
7	Agnieszka Radwanska	2 Last Month: 5	What a bummer for Agnieszka Radwanska. Had she known Azarenka was going to bail, she might have played differently against conqueror Petra Cetkovska in Rome. Despite the upset loss, Radwanska hasn't lost the momentum she gained on hard courts.
8	Tomas Berdych	1 Last Month: 9	Tomas Berdych said in his runner-up speech in Madrid that he'd be back next season. It was a nice touch from someone who hasn't always been gracious (and in Madrid). He's poised to go deep at the French Open, again, based on his play in Madrid and Rome.
9	Angelique Kerber	9 Last Month: 18	Angelique Kerber is proving that last season's sprint to the U.S. Open semis is no fluke. She's also surprised herself with her clay-court displays. Kerber is the German No. 1, and with Andrea Petkovic's serious ankle injury, the lefty could remain atop the perch for a while.
10	Andy Murray	3 Last Month: 7	Ivan Lendl was troubled by back injuries in his career, so he knows how his pupil, Andy Murray, feels. The injury likely contributed to the Scot's disappointing results in Barcelona and Rome. With two massive tournaments approaching on British soil, the timing isn't great.
11	Juan Martin del Potro	1 Last Month: 10	The good for Juan Martin del Potro was clinching his second consecutive title in Estoril and sliding his way to the semis in Madrid. The bad was his grumpy behavior in the Madrid semis and error-strewn outing against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Rome. Which one shows up in Paris?
12	Li Na	9 Last Month: NR	Li Na, a week away from beginning her title defense at the French Open, is picking up steam. She finally got over the quarterfinal hump in Rome. That said, she relinquished a set and 4-0 advantage to Sharapova. When the going gets tough in Paris, we suspect that Li will succumb to the pressure.
13	David Ferrer	3 Last Month: 16	David Ferrer rebounded nicely after a surprising loss at the Monte Carlo Masters. We wouldn't have expected anything else from Mr. Consistency. Since Monte Carlo, he reached the final in Barcelona, quarters in Madrid and semis in Rome. Can Ferrer now reach a first quarterfinal at the French in four years?
14	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	2 Last Month: 12	Now, isn't this Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a nutshell? Having played a competitive first set against Djokovic in Rome, he trailed 5-0 in 17 minutes in the second. At least in getting to the quarterfinals he made up for dropping his second-round match, as the top seed, in Munich.
15	Juan Monaco	4 Last Month: 19	Juan Monaco made a quick return after suffering a nasty looking ankle injury in Monte Carlo. In Rome, the Argentine picked up where he left off, pushing Djokovic to three sets. He'll be targeting a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal in Paris.
16	Petra Kvitova	5 Last Month: 11	Things aren't falling into place for Petra Kvitova. She had a feeling she'd repeat in Madrid -- but it amounted to nothing. An abdominal injury subsequently hampered her in a loss to Kerber in Rome. Not great stuff before the French.
17	Samantha Stosur	3 Last Month: 14	There's no reading Stosur. Entering Madrid with confidence, the Aussie underwhelmed in the Spanish capital and then in Rome. Precisely for her unpredictability, though, she shouldn't be written off at the season's second Grand Slam.
18	Caroline Wozniacki	3 Last Month: 15	It's been a bumpy few weeks for Caroline Wozniacki. The Dane hurt her ankle in Madrid, but to her credit, she took a set off Serena Williams. In Rome, breathing issues forced Wozniacki to retire in the second round. And according to Michael Joyce, she couldn't break an egg with her forehand. Ouch.
19	John Isner	6 Last Month: 13	Uh oh. What we feared might happen to John Isner is happening. Although no one will forget his dirt wins over Federer and Tsonga in Europe this year, they're becoming distant memories after his weak performances in Madrid and Rome.
20	Richard Gasquet	1 Last Month: NR	We can safely say that the old Richard Gasquet is gone. He's now got some grit. Gasquet reached the final in Estoril, and despite that long week in Portugal, battled past Thomaz Bellucci in his next match in Madrid. Most impressive, after losing an 80-minute first set to Murray in Rome, Gasquet's head didn't drop. Allez, Richard.
Biggest Jumps: 9 Biggest Drop: 6