Andy Roddick - Getty Images

It’s Déjà vu All Over Again at the Rogers Cup

July 20, 2008

The nature of the sport of tennis is such that, with the same group of ATP talents traveling and competing together regularly, intriguing match-ups will abound and players will be left feeling as though they are experiencing déjà vu. This is certainly the case at the Rogers Cup, where the singles main draw has produced several potentially titillating head-to-head encounters.

One look at the Rogers Cup main draw brings about multiple prospective match-ups that would hearken back to previous years at the event. No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal (Spain) could have the opportunity to avenge his loss to No. 16 Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) with the two on what could be a third round collision course. Meanwhile, No. 1 Roger Federer (Switzerland) and No. 14 Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) could be third round foes in what would be a rematch of the 2006 semifinal.

With Wimbledon fresh in the minds of tennis fans and players alike, rematches from the Grand Slam could surely create a fair share of drama and emotion.

No. 6 Andy Roddick (United States) could surely do without his possible second round encounter against Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia), the man who shocked Roddick in the second round at Wimbledon. Likewise, No. 9 Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) presumably had his share of Marat Safin (Russia), whom he could meet in the second round, after losing to the former Rogers Cup champion in the round of 16 at the All England Club.

Later in the tournament, even more intriguing contests could arise. In the quarter-finals, No. 3 Novak Djokovic (Serbia) might find himself on the opposite side of the net from Safin, who dashed his Wimbledon dreams in the second round. Djokovic and Nadal could also vie for a spot in the final in what would be a star-studded semi. Federer and Roddick, finalists at the 2004 event, are slated to meet in the quarter-finals, should the two men make it that far.

Of course, the match that everyone is eagerly anticipating – a Federer-Nadal Wimbledon rematch – could occur on Final Sunday. Although such a scenario is still a long way off, one thing is for certain: the week will be filled with plenty of excitement, intrigue and exceptional tennis.