Ranking the Top 25 Women After Wimbledon

3. Garbine Muguruza (WTA Ranking: 9)

Jul 11, 2015; London, United Kingdom; BBC host Sue Barker interviews Garbine Muguruza (ESP) at the trophy presentation after winning her match against Serena Williams (USA) on day 12 of The Championships Wimbledon at the AELTC. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

What a difference a year makes.

Last year, Muguruza departed Wimbledon in the first round, falling to Coco Vandeweghe. This year, she embraced the grass that she once loathed and recognised that it could exacerbate the weight of her groundstrokes. And she used that to reach her first grand slam final.

The Spaniard has a mammoth, world-beating game that so effectively overwhelms her opponents if it’s working. It’s a game that saw her defeat four top-20 players throughout the last fortnight.

But it wasn’t just her game that impressed on the grass lawns, but her mental approach to matches. Her willingness to fight back from deficits was on full display in the final against Serena. After falling down 6-4, 5-1, most would have expected the first-time finalist to resign herself to being a footnote in Serena’s historic championship. Instead, Muguruza displayed world-class grit and determination to recover two breaks of serve, before dropping serve to lose the match. It’s a skill that helps her rank among the world’s best, and should see her hold the Venus Rosewater Dish in future years.

Next: Number 2