The Week in Preview: Feb. 9

We’ve had a Grand Slam and a long weekend of Fed Cup; now February, the most frenetically insignificant of tennis months, begins in earnest. That means a lot of tournaments, a lot of appearance fees, and not a whole lot that we’re going to remember by the end of the season. Still, for us hardcore fan types, there’s plenty to watch.

Rotterdam, Netherlands
$1,811,522; 500 ranking points
Indoor hard courts
Draw is here

The men scatter to three locations this week, but Richard Krajicek’s Rotterdam event rises above the pack. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have made the trip to play this 500-level tournament in the past, and this year it has snagged the fourth of the Big 4, Andy Murray, as its top seed. He’ll lead a small draw of solid, and solidly European, talent. Two Canadians, Vasek Pospisil and No. 2 seed Milos Raonic, are entered, but no U.S. players have made the trip.

Squint a little harder at this draw and you’ll find a name that may surprise you two-thirds of the way down: Stan Wawrinka. Over the last year, we’ve gotten used to seeing the Swiss No. 2 in either the top or bottom bracket. But after his run to the semifinals at the Australian Open, he has fallen out of his Top 4 perch all the way down to No. 8—if you’re going to win a Grand Slam, you better do it again the next year. But Wawa’s loss is Rotterdam’s gain. Instead of taking most of February off, as he did last season, Stan will get right back on the court. He’ll start against Jesse Huta Galung, and could play Grigor Dimitrov in the quarters.

Also here: Tomas Berdych, Gael Monfils, wild card Alexander Zverev

Already out: Ernests Gulbis, to his friend and training partner Dominic Thiem

Antwerp, Belgium
$731,000; WTA Premier
Indoor hard courts
Draw is here

Yes, February is supposed to be a slow month, but it’s been a fast one for news so far. Last week the tennis world got two jolts out of the blue: Serena Williams announced that she’s returning to Indian Wells in March after 14 years away, and, maybe even more shocking, Eugenie Bouchard announced that she had hired Sam Sumyk, Victoria Azarenka’s longtime svengali, as her new coach.

Bouchard will show off what, if anything, she’s learned from Sumyk so far in Antwerp, where she’s the top seed. Maybe his first lesson was to take your guaranteed money while you can. Bouchard bailed out of Canada’s first World Group Fed Cup tie this past weekend. Instead, she’ll start against either Mona Barthel or a qualifier this week.

Also here: Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic, Lucie Safarova

First-round match to watch, or at least be curious about: Alizé Cornet vs. Belinda Bencic. The Swiss sensation of 2014 had a rough start to her season, losing her opener in Australia.

Memphis, Tenn.
$659,070; 250 ranking points
Indoor hard courts
Draw is here

Here is where the American men are hiding. Eight of the 28 players entered in Memphis are natives: John Isner, Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey, Donald Young, Ryan Harrison, Robby Ginepri, and perhaps most interesting, teenagers Stefan Kozlov and Jared Donaldson. The latter two, both wild cards, face each other in the first round on Monday night. Hopefully it’s the first of many between them. Kozlov is the country’s next great hope at the moment, but I think Donaldson, a Californian by way of Rhode Island currently ranked No. 180, may have more longterm potential.

Top seeds: Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson

Pattaya, Thailand
$250,000; WTA International
Hard courts
Draw is here

Are there two, or even three, women’s tournaments in Pattaya? There always seems to be something happening there. The top seeds at this outdoor event are Shuai Peng and Elina Svitolina. But there’s a veteran feel, to put it mildly, to the tournament this time around. Kimiko Date-Krumm, 44, will face Svitolina, who is 24 years her junior, in the first round. On the other side of the draw, Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn, 37, will open against Misaki Doi.

Also here: Vera Zvonareva, as a wild card

Sao Paulo, Brazil
$505,655; 250 ranking points
Clay
Draw is here

The South American clay swing gains a little momentum as it moves from Ecuador to Brazil this week. The top seed in Sao Paulo, Feliciano Lopez, had a good run in Quito, but he'll probably want to put his loss in the final there to Victor Estrella Burgos, in a third-set tiebreaker, out of his mind ASAP.

Lopez leads a Spanish invasion that includes No. 2 seed Tommy Robredo, Nicolas Almagro, Fernando Verdasco, Pablo Andujar, Albert Ramos-Viñolas, and Pablo Carreño Busta.

Also here: Fabio Fognini.

Who says February is a dull month?