Was the first week of the new tennis season eventful? You could say that.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal lost rather unexpectedly—especially Rafa—while Serena Williams needed a beverage wake-up call on court in Perth. There was no such drama for, who else, Roger Federer.

A few days ahead of the Australian Open, we bring you the first installment of our monthly power rankings, a.k.a. the TENNIS.com Top 25. Novak, for now, leads the way.

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1. Novak Djokovic: It’s not the start to the season Djokovic wanted. First he skipped the final in the lucrative Abu Dhabi exhibition due to illness, then he stuttered against Ivo Karlovic in Doha. As Roger or Rafa will tell the Serb, a sickness prior to Melbourne, or during it, isn’t a recipe for success Down Under.
2. Roger Federer: Federer has been called many things in his career. ‘Robot’ might not be one of them. But it’s an apt description for the Swiss, who just keeps on going with plenty of efficiency and little fuss. Federer humbled one of the chasing pack in Brisbane (Grigor Dimitrov) and was doing the same thing to another one (Milos Raonic) prior to a minor hiccup. He still won the tournament, however.

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3. Serena Williams: A jet-lagged, irritable Serena struggled at the Hopman Cup. The good news? She didn’t turn an ankle or do something similar. A presumably healthy Williams is still the favorite at the Australian Open, where she’s looking to end a now five-year drought. And Serena, Melbournians love their coffee, too. 
4. Maria Sharapova: Sharapova triumphed in Brisbane and she only played one three-setter. Respite. Winning a pair of French Opens after a career-threatening shoulder injury was impressive enough, but the competitor that she is, the Russian will want to bag a first major outside of Paris in seven years.

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5. Simona Halep: Halep survived a scare in her Shenzhen opener before cruising to the title, giving the popular Romanian a 9-3 record in her past 12 finals. And the players who beat her in those three finals aren’t too shabby: Sharapova twice, and Serena. But it has to be pointed out that her late withdrawal in Sydney as the top seed follows four withdrawals or walkovers in 2014.
6. Stan Wawrinka: The start of 2015 wasn’t bad for Swiss tennis, eh? Federer won in Brisbane, Timea Bacsinszky reached the final in Shenzhen, Martina Hingis won the doubles title in Brisbane, and Wawrinka collected his second consecutive title in Chennai. A bunch of eyes are on Wawrinka to see how he copes with the pressure of being the defending champ—in a much bigger tournament than Chennai.

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7. Andy Murray: This is an important season for Murray—he’s desperate to re-establish himself as a serious threat at majors. The aftereffect of back surgery was the reason he dipped for much of 2014, though his coaching turmoil didn’t help. He now appears healthy and is sticking with Amelie Mauresmo. So far, so good. He’s undefeated in 2015.
8. Milos Raonic: Was it the same old Raonic in Brisbane? He only broke serve in two of his matches, but opponents in turn had a tough time breaking the Canadian. What was clear was that Raonic hit with more purpose and aggression from the baseline. He has more momentum heading into Melbourne than his other, high-profile Canuck.

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9. Ana Ivanovic: Hold your hands up, people, if you thought Ivanovic would ever return to the Top 5. My hands are firmly by my side. When Ana battled her serve, injuries and swapped coaches, it seemed impossible. Not many wouldn’t be happy for the Serb. And no one at this stage would discount a second Slam title.
10. Kei Nishikori: When Nishikori and Raonic tangle, it’s likely to go the distance—or be very close. Such was the case in Brisbane, and this time the Japanese shot-maker, unlike at Flushing Meadows, came out second best. It’s a lottery loss that won’t damage Nishikori’s confidence in Melbourne, where he figures to have many supporters.

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11. Rafael Nadal: Players always say it’s nice to leave a tournament on a positive note. Thus when Rafa teamed up with his good pal, Juan Monaco, and clinched the doubles title in Doha, it boosted his morale. With Nadal set to make another Slam comeback, can the Spaniard turn it around in Melbourne, the site of much injury-induced heartache?
12. David Ferrer: Is 2015 the year Ferrer finally slows down and exits the Top 10? Not judging by his outing in Doha. He showed motivation wasn’t an issue by grinding past Thiemo de Bakker and Karlovic prior to a straight-set win over Tomas Berdych in the final.

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13. Venus Williams: If you haven’t seen Venus’ hit with Svetlana Kuznetsova in Auckland, when ball kids were replaced by dogs, it’s mandatory viewing. Getting back to business, Venus ensured an uplifting week for one of the Williams sisters by conquering Auckland. A sign of things to come in Melbourne? Well, we can hope.
14. Caroline Wozniacki: The stat of the first week emanated from Wozniacki’s win over plucky, talented Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in Auckland: Woz went 0-for-13 on break points in the first set. Typical of the Dane since the middle of last year, she rallied and advanced in three. Retiring in Sydney (against the same Zahlavova Strycova) was simply a precaution, her backers hope.

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15. Agnieszka Radwanska: Even the presence of Martina Navratilova couldn’t aid Radwanska in her bid to overcome Garbine Muguruza in Sydney, but the start of 2015 can’t be labeled bad for the Pole. After all, she upset Serena at the Hopman Cup. Yet it’s about beating those power players at a Grand Slam, which is a whole different proposition for Radwanska.
16. Tomas Berdych: Hiring retired legends as coaches is all the rage at the moment. Tomas Berdych tried to lure Ivan Lendl, but his countryman wouldn’t budge, so Berdych opted for Dani Vallverdu—a quiet, unassuming character (at least in public) who had been in Murray’s camp well before Lendl. Can Vallverdu morph Berdych into a Slam champion? Making the final in Doha was not a bad start.

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17. Petra Kvitova: Kvitova worked hard on her fitness in the off-season. Unfortunately for the Czech, it was her game that let her down in the semis against Timea Bacsinszky in Shenzhen. In a sight witnessed numerous times before, Kvitova generously donated unforced errors. She’ll have a point to prove in Melbourne, given what happened last year.
18. Eugenie Bouchard: Now comes the hard part for Bouchard. Reaching at least the semifinals in the first three majors of 2014, Genie has to back it up. And without Nick Saviano, who cut ties with the Montrealer in the off-season. But the Genie Army—born a year ago in Melbourne—will be there to support her.

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19. Marin Cilic: Cilic will leave the Australian Open undefeated. OK, that’s only because he’s skipping Melbourne due to a lingering arm injury. (Note: He played in the IPTL.) It’s a shame, too, because the Croatian built up momentum at Wimbledon before his stunning performance at Flushing Meadows.
20. Grigor Dimitrov: He’s tired of being called Baby Fed, but that tag will probably never leave Dimitrov. It was surely uttered somewhere when he met the 17-time Grand Slam winner in Brisbane. Dimitrov had an opportunity to put down a marker in 2015, but instead he was no match for the veteran, gone in under an hour. Ouch.

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21. Ekaterina Makarova: Makarova loves Melbourne; she's knocked off Grand Slam champions—including the Williams sisters and Ana Ivanovic—or players who would become major-title winners in her past four visits. As such, we won’t put too much stock into her early departure in Sydney.
22. Garbine Muguruza: Of the younger guard that includes the likes of Bouchard, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Karolina Pliskova, and Elina Svitolina, does Muguruza have the biggest upside? Maybe. She added to her list of upset victims by toppling Agnieszka Radwanska in Sydney. Watch out for her in Melbourne.

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23. David Goffin: He’s had the baby face for years. The change for Goffin has come in his game and health—mostly the latter. Recovered from his wrist injury, Goffin surged last summer. In reaching the semis in Chennai (losing to the eventual champion), the Belgian extended his fine form.
24. Varvara Lepchenko: The American is inching ever closer to making a breakthrough. Still armed with a powerful baseline game, Lepchenko certainly had her chances to beat Ivanovic in the Brisbane semifinals. If she can get over the hump mentally, Lepchenko is set to further climb the rankings.

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25. Ivo Karlovic: Let’s hear it for the likable Croat. He hadn’t beaten a member of the Big Four since 2008 before ending the skid versus his pal Djokovic in Doha. In the process, Karlovic joined the rare 9,000 ace club. Keep on chugging, Ivo.

Ravi Ubha (@RaviUbha) is a freelance journalist who has written for ESPN, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.