While the coaching merry-go-round continues in women's tennis, Maria Sharapova is standing solid with Sven Groeneveld as they enter a third year together in search of a sixth grand slam.
Sharapova has been with Groeneveld for more than two years with the pair enjoying their first grand slam success as a team at the 2014 French Open - the Russian's fifth slam singles crown.
"Throughout a long tennis career, you're bound to have changes - that's part of the game with whatever suits you at different periods of your profession," the 28-year-old said after a thorough workout against hitting partner Dieter Kindlmann at Brisbane's Pat Rafter Arena yesterday. 
"This is our third year - and we're quite happy. I'm also happy with the team and we're all from different parts of the world but we get along quite well. It's been fun." As well as her Dutch coach and German hitting partner, the Russian superstar has Japan's Yutaka Nakamura as her head trainer.
She has avoided the merry-go-round in recent times. In the past few days, Sloane Stephens announced a split with coach Nick Saviano, who was formerly with Eugenie Bouchard, after a disappointing 2015. Bouchard split with Sam Sumyk in   August, after he had left two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka's employ to take on the Canadian.
Sumyk is now with Wimbledon runner-up Garbine Muguruza, while Azarenka is now with Kim Clijsters and Simona Halep's former coach, Wim Fissette. Halep is now with Australian Darren Cahill, who guided Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi.
Halep, Azarenka and Muguruza are all in Brisbane trying to deny Sharapova back-to-back trophies.
All of Sharapova's five grand slams have come in years with even numbers - Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006), Australian Open (2008), French Open (2012, 2014) - so she's hoping for a successful 2016.
"That's definitely a goal of mine," she said yesterday. "And it begins in Australia so we see if the preparation works." Winning Brisbane last year provided some impetus as Sharapova made the final in Melbourne, only to lose to Serena Williams.
"I started this event quite late in my career, but once I did I just felt it was the best preparation I could have going into the first grand slam of the year, with the heat, with the type of players you're going to meet," she said.
Sharapova lost to Azarenka in the 2014 semi-finals in her maiden Brisbane appearance.
Next week she faces two other top-five players in Halep and Muguruza and six from the top 20.
"That's why I enjoy playing this event," Sharapova said of the quality field. "It is the only one I play leading up to the Australian Open and you want to play the best in the world and this is the toughest event during this week. That's why I've chosen it the last few years." Sharapova had a tough second half of 2015 with forearm and leg injuries forcing her out of the US Open and off the tour for three months. But she returned to make the semi-finals of the WTA Championships and won both her singles in the 3-2 loss to the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup final in   November."I'm feeling really good. I finished the year off really strong."