The Hopman Cup is only an exo, but Radwanska and her Polish teammate Jerzy Janowicz won it, and Aga beat Serena Williams along the way. This isn't so much impressive as it is...interesting. We’ll find out soon if Radwanska is already feeling the influence of new coach Martina Navratilova, and how far that influence might take her.
Her late-2014 surge continued in Auckland, where she reached the final and won the first set of her career over Venus Williams. But her eventual loss to the 34-year-old American also showed that, while Wozniacki’s consistency and commitment may have returned, her game still has the same limits. She can, in short, be overpowered. Now, unfortunately, she’s also hurt; Caro retired from her first match in Sydney on Monday with a wrist injury.
The Birdman reached the final in Doha before losing to David Ferrer. Just as important, he seemed energized by having a new coach, Dani Vallverdu, in his corner. At 29, with his ranking stagnating, Berdych needed that kind of jump start.
With a No. 5 ranking, Ana has a lot to back up each week in 2015. Consider week one a success: She reached the final in Brisbane, won two three-setters, and took a set from Maria Sharapova. The top rung, and the brass ring, are no closer, but no farther, as she heads for Melbourne.
In case you tuned Doha out once Nadal and Novak Djokovic were gone, Ferrer went on to win it, beating Ivo Karlovic in a third-set tiebreaker in the semis, and Berdych in the final. After dropping to No. 10 and passing his 32nd birthday in 2014, that’s a hopeful sign for the Spaniard. This week, though, Ferrer pulled out of Auckland with a back strain. Is his back really hurting? Or after all of these years, has Ferru finally learned about scheduling? If it’s the latter, it would be an even more hopeful sign for the new season.
The world No. 3 canned her coach in the off-season, but she picked up where she left off in Shenzhen, where she rolled through an easy draw. None of her wins came against anyone in the Top 40, but wins over anyone help breed confidence early in the season. She’ll have stiffer competition this week in Sydney.
Considering her age—she’ll be 35 in June—and her health, Venus’s comeback win over Caroline Wozniacki in the Auckland final may have been the most impressive performance of the weekend. Venus, in case you were wondering, is still here to stay. As for her chances of going deep over two weeks in Melbourne, that’s a bigger ask.