The Oscars inspired its share of memorable celebrations on Sunday night, but the awards show had nothing on the tennis tours. Simona Halep, David Ferrer, Ivo Karlovic, Sara Errani, and Gilles Simon all let us know much it meant to them to win a tournament, even a small tournament, on their respective circuits. At the moment of victory, most of this weekend’s champs crouched down and clenched their fists in a show of immediate and, at least to me, surprisingly deep feeling. So deep that they had to hide it away from the rest of us and savor it on their own for a second or two.

That’s tennis, where every week gives us a new set of kings and queens, and even a relatively slow month can produce what looks like once-in-a-lifetime emotion on a regular basis. But that relatively slow month is nearing its end, and the sport, especially on the men's side, is coming out of hibernation. There are two 500-level ATP events scheduled, and for the first time since the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray will all be in action.

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Dubai, U.A.E.
$2,082,605; 500 ranking points
Hard courts
Draw is here

Djokovic, Federer, Murray, and Berdych are the first four seeds in Dubai; that’s about as top heavy as a non-mandatory event gets.

No. 1 and No. 2, Djokovic and Federer, have split their last two matches in Dubai, and each contest proved to be something of a harbinger. In 2011, Djokovic’s straight-set victory was part of the long, early-year winning streak that took him to No. 1. In 2014, Federer’s three-set win in the semis was a milestone on his comeback trail—he went on to win the tournament—even if he still fell short of unseating the Serb at season's end.

This year Djokovic will play with house money in Dubai. He’s already won a major and opened up a sizable lead in the rankings. His first-round match versus Vasek Pospisil isn’t an easy one, but his win in Melbourne should insulate him from the otherwise obligatory doubts and questions that come with virtually every defeat a top player takes.

The Week in Preview: Dubai, Doha, Acapulco, Buenos Aires

The Week in Preview: Dubai, Doha, Acapulco, Buenos Aires

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Federer is a more interesting case at the moment. His third-round loss at the Australian Open naturally leaves him less insulated from those doubts and questions, especially at this stage in his career. One loss, even at a Grand Slam, is just one loss, but it did leave me wondering about Federer and momentum. Three years ago he won Wimbledon and reclaimed No. 1, before suffering a surprise defeat at the hands of Tomas Berdych in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. From there, the positive feelings he had built up slowly dissipated, and he won just one tournament over the next 16 months.

Where will Federer's loss to Seppi in Australia leave him? Did his run of success in 2014 make him impervious to a shock or two? Or is his self-confidence in his 30s on more fragile ground than it was in his 20s? For now, it’s just a question. Federer’s first answer, a routine win over Mikhail Youzhny, his 16th straight against the Russian, was a positive one.

First-round match to watch: Djokovic vs. Pospisil

Doha, Qatar
$731,000; Premier
Hard courts
Draw is here

The women begin round two of their Arabian swing with half as many players—28—as they had in round one in Dubai last week. But while the quantity is down, the quality is still high. Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ekaterina Makarova, Andrea Petkovic, and Venus Williams make for a strong first seven seeds. And while the eighth, Angelique Kerber, has departed, she did it at the hands of a better player, Victoria Azarenka.

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The Week in Preview: Dubai, Doha, Acapulco, Buenos Aires

The Week in Preview: Dubai, Doha, Acapulco, Buenos Aires

With no injuries, a new coach, and a rankings climb to make before the summer majors, Azarenka will be a player to watch this week and over the next few months. In thrashing Kerber 6-0, 6-3, Vika played like she had something to prove. She could face Wozniacki in the third round.

Another unseeded woman to watch in Doha is Karolina Pliskova. The 22-year-old Czech, who is at a career-high No. 13, might be a little burned out after her run to the final in Dubai, but along with Madison Keys she’s been the breakout of the WTA season thus far. It’s easy to see why Andy Murray was so impressed with her: He recognizes good hands and pure timing, and it’s hard to find a cleaner ball-striker than Pliskova anywhere. Tennis is one place where timing isn’t everything, of course; Halep beat Pliskova in the Dubai final with superior athleticism and more flexibility in her shot selection. But Pliskova, as she showed in her three-set wins over Safarova and Muguruza, knows how to fight, too.

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Acapulco, Mexico
$1,414,550; 500 ranking points
Hard courts
Draw is here

Say this for Acapulco so far: The tournament is on its social-media game. Those photos of sunsets and sandy beaches the players have been posting have had their desired effect on me—I want to be there.

There’s a pretty strong list of ATP players who are there, and it isn't just for the warm weather. Acapulco is not only a 500-level event, it’s a South American event that’s played on slow hard courts, which makes it logical preparation for the upcoming U.S. swing through Indian Wells and Miami.

Kei Nishikori is the top seed and David Ferrer second; each man is coming off a title at his last tournament.

Of interest:

The Week in Preview: Dubai, Doha, Acapulco, Buenos Aires

The Week in Preview: Dubai, Doha, Acapulco, Buenos Aires

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Donald Young: A semifinal in Memphis, a final in Delray, an upbeat new Twitter account, and DY is back into the Top 50. Most impressive was the way he nearly gave away his Delray quarterfinal to Alexandr Dolgopolov late in the third set, only to calm down and take it back in the end. Young showed improved patience in that moment, but he still wasn’t ready for the mental torture of facing Ivo Karlovic in the final. He’ll start against fellow American Ryan Harrison in his Acapulco opener.

Grigor Dimitrov: He won the first of his three 2014 titles in Acapulco, but a year later the world No. 10 hasn’t made much more progress; the young guns we hear about now are Nishikori, Raonic, Kyrgios and Coric. An early loss here would cost Dimitrov ranking points, and would make it feel as if, a couple months shy of his 24th birthday, he's about to take a full step backward.

Buenos Aires
$500,550; 250 ranking points
Red clay
Draw is here

Above I mentioned the “obligatory doubts and questions that come with virtually every defeat a top player takes.” We’ve heard more than a few of them expressed since Rafael Nadal lost, for the first time in five matches, to Fabio Fognini in Rio two days ago. Yes, Rafa played until 3 A.M. the previous night, but a loss on dirt for him, whatever the circumstances, is always going to be a noteworthy event. It’s a sign of his unprecedented excellence on the surface.

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The Week in Preview: Dubai, Doha, Acapulco, Buenos Aires

The Week in Preview: Dubai, Doha, Acapulco, Buenos Aires

On the one hand, there’s reason to wonder whether Rafa can continue to be as dominant on clay as he has always been. He’s taken a few uncharacteristic lumps on the surface over the last year, and more generally he’s lost to a series of players he had never lost to in the past—this was one of the early signs of the aging process for Federer, and it could be the same for Nadal. In Rio, Rafa also had trouble with his forehand for stretches.

"I don't know if the best Nadal will be back," the man himself said after Rio.

On the other hand, Rafa also said he was happy to make the semis, the same way he said he was happy to make the quarters in Australia. I remember him saying something similar, and no one believing him, when he lost in the semis at Indian Wells in 2010, and I can see the same thing happening a few more times this year.

With every season, and every birthday that brings him closer to 30—he’ll be 29 in June—it gets less likely that Rafa will run the clay table again. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to fall off of it entirely, either.

Nadal will try to win his first tournament of the year in Buenos Aires. His toughest opponent could be Fognini; they’re scheduled to meet in the semis.

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Acapulco, Mexico
$250,000; International
Hard courts
Draw is here

Maria Sharapova, who seems to be doubling as top seed and travel ambassador this week, will take her place on the first line of the women’s bracket in Acapulco. Her opening-round opponent is American Shelby Rogers.

Also here: Errani, Caroline Garcia, Sloane Stephens

First-round match to watch: Anna Schmiedlova vs. Aleksandra Krunic. Schmiedlova reached the final in Rio last week; Krunic showed what she can do by going deep at the U.S. Open last year.