Novak Djokovic Faces Troublesome Route After Getting Bad Luck at Rogers Cup Draw
Roger Federer Gets Lucky
World's no.1 Novak Djokovic is facing a nightmarish route to the finals at the Rogers Cup after getting a bad break in the draw, while Roger Federer got very lucky by avoiding the big guns until the semifinal round.
Djokovic, who will try to sustain his momentum following his Wimbledon Championships victory, is set to face proven veterans and possibly a budding star if he reaches the semifinal round of the Toronto Masters.
The 27-year old Djokovic received a first-round bye for being the top seed in the tournament, though he will be put to a test right away when he faces the winner of the first round match between Frenchman Gael Monfils and Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek.
If he gets through the second round, a harder matchup is waiting in the quarterfinal round when he takes on possibly rivals Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Andy Murray or hard-hitting Australian teen Nick Kyrgios, who received a wildcard bid following his impressive quarterfinal stint at the Wimbledon Open 2014 - where he defeated Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.
Then in the semifinals, Djokovic could face Australian Open winner and tormentor Stanislas Wawrinka or Wimbledon Open semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov, who is considered as an up-and-coming star in men's tennis.
"Novak was very unlucky to play either Monfils or Stepanek in the first match (and you'll never know what you get from them) and the Tsonga in the 3rd round, Murray in the quarters and either Dimitrov or Wawrinka in the semis (you can 't get anything worse than that)," according to Tennis Tonic.
Meanwhile, Federer seems heading to a smooth ride in the early rounds of the Rogers Cup. The Siwss Maestro will take on the winner of Peter Polansky vs. Jerzy Janowicz first round match and possibly Marin Cilic or Dennis Istomin in the third round.
The quarterfinal round could pit Federer against John Isner or David Ferrer, who is having a rough year. Getting the benefit of Nadal's absence, Federer could face Canadian Milos Raonic or Tomas Berdych in the semifinals.
Wide-Open Battle
The draw would surely play a factor in a tournament loaded with top-tier talents. However, Djokovic and Federer remain the men-to-beat in the early rounds as the rest of the competition look to pull off a pair of stunners along the way.
Guys like Raonic, Dimitrov and Kyrgios can certainly make things happen if given a tiny room to capitalize. Therefore, the Rogers Cup 2014 will likely end up as wide-open battle despite the presence of two Grand Slam icons.
For more Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Tennis news, read more at IBT Sports