Sometimes we’re so caught up on how well top players play week after week.  Federer ended 2011 by winning Basel, Paris, and London over a four week period.  Ferrer won Valencia, Paris, then played London and Davis Cup in four consecutive weeks.  Most players that play on the tour lose as often as win in the first round, and if they reach the second round, they often lose there.  It’s enough to keep their ranks in the top 50, but it means they play few matches each week.

So, on the rare occasion they make it deep in a tournament, they often fade early in the next one.

Roberto Bautiste-Agut reached the finals of Chennai while Benoit Paire and Aljaz Bedene lost in the semis.  This week, Bautiste-Agut retired in the first round, Bedene lost to Kevin Anderson in the first round at Sydney, and Benoit Paire lost in the first round at Auckland.

Grigor Dimitrov, who reached the finals of Brisbane, is already out at Sydney.  Richard Gasquet, who won Doha, at least chose to withdraw from this week’s tournaments.

Some of this may be due to lack of fitness, thus, inability to play so many matches without tiring or getting injured, or with the Australian Open ready to start next week, it may be just prudent scheduling, or it may be that one week you get hot on a surface you like, and the next week, you lose it.

In any case, it’s not so surprising to see such losses.  Indeed, some top players in the past had such issues, though it’s less common now as players schedule breaks to recover.