In tennis, when a member of the established elite suffers a surprising defeat in January, it is easy to chalk it up to early-season jitters and rust.  When a player continues to produce sub-par results four months into the season, he or she could arguably be said to be in a slump.  Slump is a word that Eugenie Bouchard has probably become familiar with, and after his exit this week in Barcelona, Rafael Nadal also finds himself surrounded by question marks.  But these are not the only top-tier talents undergoing struggles.  Agnieszka Radwanska has also quietly been enduring her share of woes.

There is no denying that Radwanska has had very little to celebrate in 2015.  She has yet to make a final, and only twice has she been beyond the round of 16 at any event.  Realistically, however, the Pole's problems go further back to 2014.  Her results have primarily been mediocre ever since making her title run in Montréal last August.  Even the handful of bright spots these last eight months can be misleading, as evidenced by her semifinal appearance at the WTA Championships.  Despite making the final four of that prestigious tournament, she did so by winning just a single match.  Taking all of this into consideration, her lackluster start to 2015 should not be all that unexpected.

Aside from her poor results on the court, Radwanska's father, Robert Radwanski, may have added to her misery off the court with recent comments he made about her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.  In a nutshell, he attacked the personal character of Wiktorowski and blamed him for what he deemed the stagnation of his daughter's career.  While the manner and venue in which Radwanski chose to attack Wiktoroski is up for debate, it does not negate the fact that there may be some merit to his doubts of Wiktoroski's ability to successfully continue to be his daughter's coach. 

Three years ago, Radwanska was a Wimbledon finalist.  She was once ranked as high as No. 2 and was a regular at the business end of tournaments.  But, as previously noted, she is no longer regularly putting herself in a position to vie for titles.  Her year-end ranking has slipped by a spot in each of the last couple of years, and she now finds herself ranked No. 9.  In short, she is going in the wrong direction.  It is also not uncommon for players to switch coaches when they feel they have learned all that they can from their current tutor.  The fact that Radwanska added Martina Navratilova to her team was possibly a hint that the Pole recognized the need for another voice in her ear.

Of course, there is another train of thought on Radwanska's recent struggles, and it places the responsibility on Radwanska's shoulders, not her coach's.  This argument may also explain why her struggles have not received the same level of attention as those of Bouchard or Nadal.  Simply put, Radwanska may have maxed out with little chance of regaining her former glory.  She is and has always been a player with exceptional hands and court sense, but she is vulnerable against the heavy hitters who can take the match out of her hands.  Additionally, she has less margin for error, for she does not possess enough of her own firepower to hit her way out of trouble or intimidate an opponent.  Furthermore, since she has been on tour for several years now, the rest of the field has gotten to know her game and is probably more prepared and comfortable with facing her various spins and changes of pace.  If this is true, it may not make too much of a difference who is sitting in her coaching box. 

As is often the case, it will take time to determine if Radwanska will be relegated to the status of a dangerous floater or return to being a top-prize contender.  The jury is still out on which is the more likely scenario.  She is a smart, gifted player, and at age 26, it seems foolish to write her off as someone whose best tennis is behind her.  On the other hand, her smaller size presents her with some challenges that will be difficult to overcome, and it remains to be seen if she is capable of playing a more aggressive and imposing brand of tennis like Simona Halep, who is similar in stature to the Pole.  Tennis could use a woman of Radwanska's craftiness at the top, so for the sake of the sport, hopefully she finds a way to turn the tide.  It is going to be up to her though to put the pieces together, both on and off the court, if she wants to once again find herself in the ascendancy.