By Chris Oddo | Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Li Na got high marks for her 2014 Australian Open title. Find out who else aced the first quarter of 2014 here.
Photo Source: Corleve
Now that Australia’s in the books, along with the Latin American clay-court swing and the Indian Wells-Miami double, we are taking out our red markers and handing out the grades for the first quarter of the season.
Videos: 16 Sweet Hot Shots from Indian Wells and Miami
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Heads of the Class
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Li Na A +
Not only did Li win the Australian Open, her second Grand Slam title and first while past the age of 30, she also performed excellently away from the majors. She slipped up in a loss in Dubai to Petra Cetkovska, but bounced back in the States, reaching the semis at Indian Wells and the final in Miami. All things considered, Li has been the best player in tennis in 2014, male or female.
Stan Wawrinka A
"The Stanimal" has slipped up quite a bit since winning the Australian Open in January, as he's gone 4-2 since his crowning achievement. But Slams are what matters most in tennis, and Wawrinka proved himself at the year's only Slam by winning the title (aka "Failing Better") and climbing as high as No. 3 in the rankings.
Novak Djokovic A-
Things are coming into focus for the six-time Grand Slam champion as the clay season begins. He fell to Wawrinka in Australia and to Federer in Dubai, but since then the Serb has captured the Indian Wells-Miami double for a second time. His last match, a straight-sets takedown of Rafael Nadal in Miami was a clear shot across the bow of his rival as the clay season approaches.
Dominika Cibulkova A-
The feisty Slovakian has POME'd! her way into the public's consciousness in 2014 with a sparkling run of fine form. She notched her first Grand Slam final in Australia and just this week has climbed into the top 10 for the first time in her career. She's been a constant source of grit and energy, and has showed a lot of shotmaking capacity to go with her ever present resilience.
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Next in Line
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Rafael Nadal A-
Nadal has dealt with a lot this year, and though he's had some rough patches, he's emerged with two titles and a Grand Slam final to his name. That's nothing to scoff at, and things should get better for the king of clay now that his back problems appear to be behind him. As the tour heads to the European clay he'll assume the pole position once again, but he's just below the upper echelon when it comes to the first quarter of the season.
Simona Halep A-
Could the 22-year-old Romanian be a future Grand Slam champion? It is certainly starting to look that way. Halep cracked the top five in 2014, becoming the first Romanian ever to do so, and she won her biggest career title in Doha a few weeks after reaching the quarterfinals in Australia. There is a certain maturity and poise in Cibulkova's game, and though she's not one of the more powerful players on tour, she's blessed with a high tennis IQ and a great feel for the ball and the geometry of the tennis court.
Roger Federer A-
The Mighty Fed is playing some of the most electric tennis that we've seen him play in years, and he's doing it on a consistent basis. He passed John McEnroe in career titles by winning Dubai in February, and nearly won his 22nd Masters title at Indian Wells, losing to Novak Djokovic in three sets in the final. With the new racquet, newfound fitness, and that magical, effervescent game of his, this could be the beginning of another banner year for Fed. If all goes well he should be in A+ form by the mid to late summer.
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Not Quite There Yet
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Serena Williams B
The seventh Miami title was an amazing feat that reminded us that Serena still has the capacity to dominate the field, but the losses to Ana Ivanovic in Australia, Alize Cornet in Dubai and Jana Cepelova in Charleston reveal a fragility in Serena's game that we didn't see last season. She is the player with the most to gain come spring and summer.
Andy Murray B-
It's been a slow grind for Murray, as he's been working his way into form all season, and he's still not there yet. Simply put, he's not match tough yet. But it does appear to be coming.
Maria Sharapova B-
Maria has played two solid, Sharapova-like tournaments this year (Brisbane and Miami) and each time she was stopped by Serena Williams. She now stands at 15 consecutive losses to her rival that really isn't a rival, and counting...
Agnieszka Radwanska B+
A solid start to the year, as usual for Radwanska, but no single spectacular result sticks out.
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Up and Coming
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Grigor Dimitrov B+
Does anybody else get the feeling that Dimitrov could be the next male player to win his maiden Slam? He earned a title in Acapulco and fought Rafael Nadal tooth and nail in the Australian Open quarterfinals (the first Slam QF of his young career). This kid is more than just a human highlight film—he's a force to be reckoned with in the making.
Sabine Lisicki and Martina Hingis A
The pair bounced back from a first-round loss at Indian Wells to claim their first career dubs title as a team in Miami. Who can't wait to see more of this pairing?
Ernests Gulbis B-
If it wasn't for his second-round loss to Sam Querrey in Australia, Gulbis would be up there at B+. Other than that, he's been solid and consistent pretty much all season.
Elina Svitolina B
At 35 in the world, the 19-year-old is now officially the WTA's highest-ranked teenager. And, she's already racked up four top 20 wins this season.
Eugenie Bouchard B+
Reaching the semis in Australia was a big step for the blossoming Canadian. Her next challenge will be to replicate that later in the season. Can she?
Marin Cilic B-
Cilic looked to be a player on the rise after three consecutive finals in Zagreb, Rotterdam and Delray Beach. But a three-set loss to Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells appears to have cooled him off, at least temporarily.
Flavia Pennetta B+
A huge title at Indian Wells, the biggest of Pennetta's career, plus a quarterfinal in Australia. It has been quite a year for Flavia.
Alize Cornet B-
One of these days the Frenchwoman is going to get over the hump and have a huge breakthrough. Her upset of Serena Williams in Dubai was one of many excellent performances she's turned in this year.
Alexandr Dolgopolov B+
The Dog has three top five wins to his name in 2014 and it's only April. Need we say more?
Venus Williams B
Title No. 45 in Dubai is further proof that Venus can still put her game together and play like a top five megastar.
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Bumming Us Out
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Jerzy Janowicz D
Colleagues in the know say Janowicz is healthy. Then how do we explain his 6-6 record for the season?
Bernard Tomic Incomplete
Hopefully he'll get healthy and reach his potential, but the young Aussie just seems to be a ship without anchor, perpetually.
Sloane Stephens C
Three words: Not. Making. Progress. At least that's how it seems.
Caroline Wozniacki B-
See: Sloane Stephens. Or the cache of discarded coaches lying in her wake.
American men not named Isner (or Klahn?) D
Two massive events on home soil and absolutely no buzz from an American man. What's worse? Nobody even seemed to notice or care.
Victoria Azarenka C
Injuries have forced her to the sideline temporarily, but is it just us or does it seem that Azarenka's window to become the next dominant WTA player is nearly completely closed? Sadly, her inability to stay healthy could be the biggest reason.
American women not named Williams C +
Maybe it's growing pains, but the highly touted core of youngsters that includes Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys appears to be stuck at the plateau. Promising, yes, but ready to hit the next level? Not quite.
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Teacher's Pets
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Lleyton Hewitt B
The Aussie won a title in Brisbane and notched his 600th career victory in Miami. Oi Oi Oi!
Bryan Brothers A
Mike and Bob notched their first Indian Wells-Miami double last week.
Switzerland Davis Cup Team A
They are finally serious about this thing!
Kimiko Date-Krumm A+
Any day Kimiko, 43, takes the court against somebody half her age, we always crack a big old ear-to-ear smile.