Racket Response: Safarova back on track, Federer suffers setback

11:58 AM ET

The Madrid Open is just more than a day old, and we’re already seeing some shocking results.

Gone are Angelique Kerber, the reigning Australian Open champ, and Agnieszka Radwanska, who lost a three-set battle against Dominika Cibulkova on Sunday.

But at least they were able to get a match in, which is more than Roger Federer can say. The Swiss star pulled out of Madrid, the penultimate clay Masters Series event of the year with a back injury.

Our writers weigh in on some of the unforeseen results in Madrid, plus some of the highlights from the week that was in another edition of Racket Response.

@ptbodo: As last week began in Prague, Lucie Safarova had yet to win a singles match in 2016, even though she had been ranked as high as No. 5 last fall. But by week’s end, she had logged five wins in a row and beamed as she hoisted the championship trophy high above her shoulders in the capital city of her native Czech Republic.

A long layoff because of injury can really mess with a tennis player’s head, especially if that unexpected hiatus kicks in while said player is at or near the peak of her career. That was the situation Safarova found herself in at the start of this year.

Safarova was the French Open runner-up to Serena Williams last season. The Czech had also partnered with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to win the first two Grand Slam doubles titles of 2015. Finally, it seemed, that explosive but unpredictable service return was paying consistent dividends (assist to all that doubles work). Finally, Safarova’s left-handed juju was animating her forehand, making it pop and sing.

The 29-year-old went on to have a solid summer, but she also developed a bacterial infection that foiled her fall season and ultimately left her hospitalized. She still managed to qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career and rallied to play, where she won a match in the round-robin stage.

But her illness lingered, and Safarova had to pass on the Australian Open. She didn’t return until late February and lost her opening match in five straight tournaments leading to Prague. With her ranking falling to No. 16, Safarova needed a win badly. She got five, with …

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