Madrid Open Scores 2012: John Isner and 3 Others Who Will Rebound at French Open

The Madrid Open finished up this morning with Roger Federer and Serena Williams taking home the honors in Men's and Women's Singles. With the blue clay tournament wrapping up, tennis eyes will turn to the second Grand Slam event of the year when the French Open kicks off in a little over a week. 

With Federer and Williams taking home the trophies, countless other players went home empty-handed. A lot of those players were some of the top athletes in tennis. These four highly ranked players not only went home empty-handed, but were eliminated long before the matches heated up in the later rounds.

John Isner, USA

The first member of the ATP top-ten to be eliminated in the Madrid Open was American John Isner. Isner, No. 10 was felled in just the second round by Marin Cillic out of Croatia. Cilic is ranked 22nd in the ATP. It was another disappointing tournament for Isner in Madrid. Though his success at the French Open has been equally limited, it is time for the 27-year-old to start proving himself on the tour. 

He finished last year's Grand Slam season with a quarterfinals appearance in the US Open. Isner then followed that up by kicking 2012 off with a third-round run in Australia. Despite his faltering early in Madrid, expect Isner to continue improving his game on the bigger stages. 

Rafael Nadal, Spain

The obvious choice here is Rafael Nadal. The Spanish star was eliminated in just the third round at the Madrid Open by 15th ranked Fernando Verdasco. Nadal, No. 2 overall, will look to forget his recent slip-up when he heads to a place he knows very well. 

Six of the past seven French Opens have finished with Nadal raising the trophy, including the past two in a row. Nadal will be one of the favorites next week as he deserves to be. Adding to his drive in the French Open will be his three straight Grand Slam losses in the final round. Since his 2011 French Open win over Roger Federer, Nadal has made it to each Grand Slam final match and lost to Novak Djokovic. The French Open has been the cure to Nadal's struggles in the past; we'll see if it once again can get him back on track. 

Marion Bartoli, France

Returning home to her native France will definitely help Marion Bartoli forget a miserable trip to the Madrid Open. In the opening round, Bartoli fell to WTA No. 46 Sorana Cirstea. The 27-year-old was ranked No. 7 in the world prior to the Open. She will look to regain her standing among tennis' elite in France next week.

Over the past five years or so, Bartoli has performed very well in Grand Slam events. She advanced to the semifinals in last year's French Open and the third round at the Australian Open earlier this year. Overall, a return home will be good for Bartoli and her chances to continue improving on the tour.

Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic

Another highly ranked player who fell far too early in Madrid was the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova. In the second round of the Madrid Open, Kvitova was beaten by her countrywoman Lucie Hradecka. Kvitova entered Madrid ranked No. 4 in the world but was defeated long before the other elite players were meeting in the late rounds.

Kvitova is just 22-years-old and has a lot of tennis left in front of her. However, much is expected of the young Czech after winning Wimbledon in 2011. She had a hot start to 2012 with a semifinal loss to Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open. Kvitova will return to the French Open with revenge on her mind after a close loss in the fourth round to Na Li in 2011.