What you might have missed: Melbourne to Indian Wells

After the Australian Open, it can be tempting to check out until Indian Wells kicks off the rest of the year, but that would be a mistake. In the intervening weeks, plenty of tennis is played, with changes in the rankings and noteworthy tournament wins to keep track of.

If you’re just checking back in, here’s what you might’ve missed.

Recent Tournament Winners

With the “Golden Swing” and other tournaments taking place all over the world after the Australian Open, here’s a roundup of who’s riding a hot hand coming into the spring hard-court season:

1

Juan Martin del Potro comes up big in Acapulco

The heavy-hitting Argentinian just won his biggest title since Basel in 2013, beating Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to win the Mexican Open title. It’s his 21st ATP title.

2

Elina Svitolina is quietly playing at the top of her game

One of the WTA’s most consistent players over the last year just successfully defended her Dubai Duty Free Championships title.

She is one of only three players to win that title in back-to-back years. The other two women are Venus Williams and Justine Henin. It seems like a matter of time before the world No. 4 joins them as Grand Slam winners, too.

3

Diego Schwartzman secures a spot in the Top 20

One of the hardest working guys on the tour secured the biggest win of his career when he took out the wily veteran Fernando Verdasco in the Rio Open final. He’s now reached a career-high No. 17 in the world.

4

Frances Tiafoe captures his first title

The young American Tiafoe took home his first title at Delray Beach, an ATP World Tour 250 event. American tennis fans hope it is the first of many titles for the talented 20-year-old.

5

Petra Kvitova continues to amaze

Given that just over a year ago Kvitova was recovering from a gruesome knife attack to her left hand, winning not one but two titles in the last month is a stunning achievement. After winning the title in St. Petersburg, she sauntered over to the Qatar Open and took out Garbine Mugaurza in the final. Can she continue her run of success through the spring hard-court season?

Elsewhere, Fabio Fognini, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Roger Federer all won tournaments after the Australian Open. Speaking of Federer…

Federer returns to No. 1, plus other rankings climbers

In addition to Schwartzman’s climb up the rankings, other noticeable movers include Del Potro, who finds himself securely in the Top 10 at No. 8, and Kvitova makes a welcome return to the Top 10 as well at No. 9.

Arguably the biggest story in tennis over the last month, though, is Federer’s return to No. 1.  At 36 years old, he is the oldest players to reach No. 1, besting Andre Agassi’s mark at age 33.

Injury Report

Rafael Nadal is struggling with a hip injury that led to his withdrawal from both Indian Wells and the Miami Open. He is now the second member of the Big Four to fall prey to a hip problem, with Andy Murray set to miss even more time as he recovers from hip surgery. Stan Wawrinka has also withdrawn from the Sunshine Double to rest his ailing knee.

Anticipated Returns

Serena Williams makes her return to competition for the first time since the 2017 Australian Open. With only a few exhibition appearances and a Fed Cup match in 2018, no one’s sure what to expect from the 23-time Grand Slam champ. The eye test says she’s probably at least a few tournaments away from recapturing her winning ways, but don’t be surprised if she figures out a way to win Indian Wells anyway.

Another sight for sore eyes will be Victoria Azarenka, whose ongoing custody dispute has kept her confined to California and off the tour since last summer. Indian Wells, however, is a tournament she can play. It will no doubt be an emotional return for the two-time champ.

And all indications point to Novak Djokovic playing his first match since a fourth-round exit to Hyeon Chung at the Australian Open.

The Serb has been rehabbing from a “small medical intervention” on his ailing right elbow. As of now, he’s still entered to play Indian Wells, an event he’s won five times. Will the elbow hold up to playing consecutive days at an ATP Masters 1000 event? Not even Djokovic knows the answer.

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