By Chris Oddo

(January 7, 2013) -- The first week of tennis is in the books. As expected, it was a whirlwind. Titles were won and hamstrings were pulled. Statements were made and knees were tweaked. Welcome to the asylum, my friends. 

Without further ado, this week’s Heroes and Zeros:

Hero: Grigor Dimitrov

For his first career final and overall high-voltage persona, the young Bulgarian gets high props from us. The 21-year-old fashioned a breathtaking run to the Brisbane final last week, pushing Andy Murray for a spell in his first career final. Dimitrov’s dream was put to rest when Murray flicked the switch in the final, but seeing Dimitrov get there convinced us that he is indeed a player on the rise.

Friends, be warned: buying Dimitrov stock is the only logical thing to do right now. Freakishly good, and only 21, he’s got top five written all over him.

But Dimitrov's success has a back story too. Behind every burgeoning player there's a tried-and-true coach, and the Bulgarian is no exception to that rule. Dimitrov’s coaching has played a large part in his early season surge. Thanks to an off-season stint at the Good to Great Tennis Academy in Sweden (where Magnus Norman and his crew have been molding him for future accolades), Dimitrov is vastly improved in multiple areas. His serve has gone from, well, good to great, and his fitness and movement are dramatically improved as well.

Watch out for this kid, he’s on the up. And keep an eye on the Good to Great Academy for future success stories.

Zero: Sam Stosur

Sam is a mystery to us because she can be so down to earth and holistic at times and so nerdy and easily rattled at others. But Sam, tell me, what is the deal with playing in Australia? Is it the pressure? It definitely isn't the sense of purpose. Stosur loves Australia and wants to do good by it -- you can feel that -- but she just can't seem to get over the mental hump. Two straight losses -- one to Arvidsson in Brisbane and yesterday's three-setter to Zheng in Sydney -- are further proof of that.

Hero: Sloane Stephens

We loved seeing Stephens burst from the gates with a mini-run that ended in a testy third-round encounter with Serena Williams last week. Who knows how far she might have gone had she not faced Serena so early?

Admittedly, Stephens looked blown off the court at times by Serena (how could you not?), but the fact that the 19-year-old pushed the 15-time Grand Slam champion and even agitated her during their 6-4, 6-3 tussle is a fantastic sign for Stephens moving forward.

Zero: Azarenka's pedicure

It was the must-see match in week one that never materialized: Vika and Serena. And because it never materialized we all ate a bunch of popcorn for nothing.

Hero: Bernard Tomic

Tomic is an interesting study; he's a chameleon of sorts. One minute he's dazzling you, the next minute he's breaking your heart. This week Tomic was dazzling, as he frequently is when he plays at home, down under in Australia. He beat Djokovic somewhat handily at Hopman Cup -- that pretty much says it all. That he also went undefeated at the event, throwing in a hard-fought win over Haas and a straight-setter over Seppi says even more.

Zero: time violations

Actually, check that. Time violations are fine. The real zero is arbitrary numbers. Why 25 seconds? Why not 29.345?

Hero: Li Na

Li won a title at Shenzhen. You know that makes a few billion people proud.

Zero: I'm all out of zeros, sorry

Hero: Benoit Paire and Stan Wawrinka

People were going nuts all week about these guys as they raced to their first dubs title in only their fourth event as a team.

Wawrinka won his first doubles title outside of the 2008 Olympic Gold medal. Paire won his first title overall. They came, they saw, they conquered. And then they chest-bumped to top it all off. Who could ever ask for more?

Zero: Caroline Wozniacki

We love Caroline but we have to unlove her after her first-round loss in Brisbane. Maybe it’s not fair. Maybe the bar is set unreasonably high for the Great Dane. Either way, she gets a zero for the week.

Hero: Brisbane, the city

Brisbane was alive all week with packed houses and big energy. It’s testament to the fans who support the event and the genuine affection they have for the sport. Pat Rafter arena, with an intimate seating capacity of 5,500, is one of the jewels of the circuit. With its lightweight roof which lets in natural light, the feel at this event is decidedly unique, just like the fans.

Hero: Andy Murray

Not so much for winning Brisbane, which was awesome, but for dedicating the victory to Ross Hutchins. Hutchins announced that he's dealing with Hodgkins Lymphoma this week. Needless to say, he'll be in our prayers.

(Photo Credit: ATP)