2010 Rogers Cup: The top two favourites for the tournament: Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic
The race for the top ranking in the world of tennis will further heat up at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Canada. Let us have a look at the top two seedings as well as their possibilities in the competition.
1. Rafael Nadal
As far as the draw of the number one tennis player Rafael Nadal is concerned; he will definitely have to knock down some tough opponents on his way to the semifinal round of the tournament.
Andy Roddick and Marin Cilic remain the top favourites to reach the quarterfinal round of the 2010 Rogers Cup after Rafa.
Cilic has not managed to make his way into the final of any tournament since May, and Roddick, in a recent interview, accepted the fact that he is not performing at his very best and therefore his confidence level is not that high at the moment.
According to experts, Cilic could give Rafa his toughest clash in this year’s quarterfinal match, considering the knock he played against the Spaniard in China back in 2009. However, one cannot deny the fact that Nadal’s game has improved a great deal as compared to last year, and Cilic is not even playing at his best at the moment.
The world number one Rafa has already surprised himself more than anyone else in the world by grabbing a total of two major trophies this season. Moreover, another interesting fact about the Spaniard is that he comes out on the court even stronger when his confidence level is high. Therefore, it is going to be really difficult for anyone to easily exceed the top seeded Spaniard at the Rogers Cup this year in Toronto.
2. Novak Djokovic:
The current second ranked tennis player, Novak Djokovic is looking pretty much perfect in terms of his health and fitness; however, he will have to give his hundred percent in order to reach the latter stages of the tournament, as his draw is quite complicated without any question.
Novak will play his opening match against Julien Benneteau, and could meet the thirteen seeded Jurgen Melzer in the round number three of the tournament.
Melzer, who made his way into the semifinal round of the French Open championship earlier this season, has shown that his penetrating backhand remains a daunting tool on the tour. The sixth seeded Nikolay Davydenko is also in the same draw; however, the Russian has been out of shape since his wrist injury during the month of March.
Having fallen prior to the round number three of every tournament that he has participated in since March, Nikolay has entered Toronto as a wild card entrant. However, as we all know the class of the Russian tennis ace, he can still prove to be one of the toughest opponents on the court in spite of the fact that he has lost his form since his injury.
Two of the other important names in this group are the ninth seeded Fernando Verdasco, as well as Marcos Baghdatis. Both the players, without any measure of speculation, possess the right ingredients to play well on the hard surfaces, with Marcos having a much flatter game.
Marcos, in a recent performance, knocked down Verdasco in Washington, and the two of them could meet up in the third round of the tournament here in Toronto once again.
Baghdatis has proven enough of his class this season and it would be no surprise if he manages to reach the semifinal round of the Rogers Cup 2010, provided that he remains a hundred percent fit.
Novak Djokovic, therefore, will have to fight really hard in order to make his way into the semifinal round of the tournament in Toronto.
As far as his teaming up with Rafael Nadal in the doubles draw is concerned, the experts are not convinced that his serve will back him well enough for the back-to-back clashes at the York University in Toronto.
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