It’s hard to imagine being called an elder statesman at age 29, but Novak Djokovic has become a veteran figure on the ATP World Tour in his 13^th season as a pro.

Making his 10^th appearance at the Rogers Cup, the top seed was forced to be on top of his game from the first ball in a tricky opening round against Gilles Muller. Djokovic advanced into the third round in two tight sets after having to serve to stay in both of them.

But whether it’s performing in front of full stadiums or trying his hand at an exhibition ball hockey game last weekend in Toronto, Djokovic is embracing his role as one of the most-watched figures in the sport.

“I’m obviously doing everything in my own power and my own field of influence to be a positive example on and off the court. I’m very connected emotionally to this sport,” said Djokovic. “I feel that bond and I try to be honest and transfer that passion on the court and off it… So I hope people can relate to that and recognise that.”

Rather than shying away from the elder statesman label, Djokovic is embracing it. He was among the players elected last month to the ATP Player Council, joining Andy Murray and other top players in serving a two-year term through June 2018.

“As somebody that is on top of the game and has at this moment [a] certain influence, I can try to use that influence and contribute in a good way to the sport,” said Djokovic. “Roger Federer has done that for a long time and Rafael Nadal was also in the council for a long time. I think it’s good that the best players in the world are getting involved.”

Having already left an indelible mark on the court, the Serbian said being on the Player Council now provides with him an opportunity to do the same off the court.

“[It’s] making a positive difference in the sport for the future generations as well, not just for us. We are talking about the seasons to come, ’18, ’19, ’20,” said Djokovic. “Who knows if some of us will still play at that time, but we can do something that is going to leave a mark of our legacy on the sport. Not just as tennis players, but as people who try to live a better sport for future generations.”

Third seed Kei Nishikori kicked off his summer hard court campaign in style on Wednesday at the Rogers Cup, moving into the third round with a win over qualifier Dennis Novikov, 6-4, 7-5.

“I thought it was a good match, good enough for the first match since Wimbledon,” said Nishikori. “I knew I was going to get ups-and-downs because I haven’t played matches in a long time and I didn’t practise much the first couple of weeks after getting injured…but it was still a good, solid match today.”

Nishikori dropped just five points in racing out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, but Novikov fought back to level the set at 4-4. Just when it appeared the American might be on his way to an improbable comeback, Nishikori responded by breaking his opponent to lead 5-4 and then serving out the set.

Novikov continued to hang tough with his opponent, forcing Nishikori to serve to stay in the set at 4-5. But the third seed saved his best tennis for the end by breaking his opponent once more to lead 6-5 and then closing out the contest.

Next up for Nishikori is Rajeev Ram, who upset No. 13 seed Lucas Pouille, 6-4, 7-6(4). The American squandered two match points on his serve at 5-4 and couldn’t serve out the match again at 6-5, but made good in the tie-break on his fourth match point opportunity. 

Nishikori leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Ram 3-1, with all three wins coming on hard courts.

Kevin Anderson also moved into the third round after No. 6 seed Dominic Thiem was forced to retire due to a hip injury with Anderson leading 4-1 in the first set.

Now that the first round of play is complete, an action-packed Day 3 on Wednesday at the Rogers Cup features 14 singles matches with a stellar lineup that includes World No. 1 Novak Djokovic as well as No. 4 seed and top Canadian Milos Raonic, who is playing his first match since reaching the Wimbledon final on July 10.

Three-time champion Djokovic will face Gilles Muller in the second match on Centre Court. Djokovic begins his quest to win his 30th ATP Masters 1000 title. In the last five years, Djokovic has won 18 of 21 Rogers Cup matches, with his losses in the 2013 SF (l. to Nadal in a third-set TB), 2014 3R (l. to eventual champ Tsonga) and final last year (l. to Murray). Overall, Djokovic has advanced to the quarterfinals or better eight of nine years in Canada.

Of the six Canadians who began in the draw, five still remain standing. Raonic, after a 1R bye, leads the pack as he faces off in the night match against Yen-Hsun Lu. Fellow Canadians Dennis Shapovalov, Vasek Pospisil, Peter Polansky and Steven Diez also take the court for second-round action, all with tough opponents. The No. 370-ranked Shapovalov takes on Grigor Dimitrov, Pospisil plays No. 10 seed Gael Monfils, and Diez meets No. 12 seed Bernard Tomic.

There are also two all-American clashes with John Isner and Ryan Harrison, as well as Donald Young and Jack Sock. It’s been a strong showing for Americans in Toronto, as eight of the 12 who began in the first round have advanced, marking the most at the Rogers Cup since 1999. Other Americans on the line-up for Wednesday include qualifiers Jared Donaldson, who will face Fabio Fognini, and Dennis Novikov, who kicks off play on Centre Court against No. 3 seed Kei Nishikori.

Rising star and No. 6 seed Dominic Thiem is also set to play against the big-serving Kevin Anderson. The 22-year-old Austrian enters the Rogers Cup with four ATP World Tour titles and a 48-14 match record on the season (16-5 on hard). He leads the ATP World Tour in overall match wins and clay match wins (25) and is second in titles. He is the youngest player in the Top 10 Emirates ATP Rankings at No. 9, and broke into the Top 10 on June 6 at No. 7 (from 15) after his semi-final run at Roland Garros (l. to Djokovic).

DAY 3 FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS – In Order of Play by Court

Novikov 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 2-5 (1-2 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: November 6, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 131
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2016 2nd Round)

• Tournament Note: The 22-year-old American qualifier is making his Rogers Cup debut and on Tuesday opened with a 64 63 win over Delbonis
• Has qualified five times into main draw in ATP World Tour level tournaments this season, including Wimbledon where he defeated Saville (l. to Sousa in 2R)
• Has a 6-9 record on ATP Challenger Tour and best result is QF in Guadalajara
• Playing first career Top 10 opponent

Nishikori 2016 FastFacts:
W: Memphis (d. Fritz); F(2): Barcelona (l. Nadal); Miami (l. Djokovic); SF(2): Rome (l. Djokovic); Madrid (l. Djokovic); QF(3): Indian Wells (l. Nadal); Aust. Open (l. Djokovic); Brisbane (l. Tomic)
YTD W-L: 36-11 (19-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 11
Date of Birth: December 29, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 6
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 5-3 (2015 Semi-finalist)

• Tournament Note: Nishikori is making his 4th main draw appearance at the Rogers Cup, his best result coming last year in the semi-finals, where he lost to eventual champion Murray
• Captured 4th straight Memphis title and extended win streak at event to 17 matches (d. Fritz)
• Saved 5 MPs to beat Monfils en route to 2nd ATP Masters 1000 final of career at Miami (l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Also saved 1 MP to defeat Isner 76 in 3rd before falling to No. 5 Nadal in ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells QF
• Reached ATP Masters 1000 SFs at Madrid (l. to Djokovic 76 in 2nd) and Rome (l. to Djokovic 76 in 3rd)
• Appeared in 3rd consecutive Barcelona final (d. Paire, l. to No. 5 Nadal)
• Advanced to Aus. Open QF (d. Tsonga, l. to Djokovic) and Roland Garros 4R (d. Verdasco in 5 sets, l. to Gasquet)
• Conceded walkover in Halle 2R vs. F. Mayer and retired in Wimbledon 4R vs. Cilic due to rib injury
• Beat Evans before falling to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets, snapping 12-match Davis Cup win streak (GBR d. JPN 3-1)

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Gilles Muller (LUX) Djokovic Leads 2-0
15 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R16 Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-5
15 Roland Garros (France) Clay R64 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 6-4

Djokovic 2016 FastFacts:
W(6): Doha (d. Nadal); Australian Open (d. Murray); Indian Wells (d. Raonic); Miami (d. Nishikori); Madrid (d. Murray); Roland Garros (d. Murray); F: Rome (l. Murray); QF: Dubai (l. Lopez)
YTD W-L: 46-4 (28-1 on hard)
YTD Titles: 6 / Career Titles: 65
Date of Birth: May 22, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 1
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 30-6 (2007, 2011, 2012 Champion)

• Tournament Note: The three-time Rogers Cup champion is bidding for his 30th ATP Masters 1000 title
• Won Roland Garros title to become 8th man with career Grand Slam and 3rd with all 4 majors at once (d. Murray)
• Leads ATP World Tour with six titles and 46-4 match record (28-1 on hard), including three ATP Masters 1000 titles: Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid. Also runner-up in in Rome
• With win at Roland Garros, also tied Emerson for 4th all-time with 12 Grand Slam men’s singles titles
• Defeated by Querrey in Wimbledon 3R, ending calendar Grand Slam bid and 30-match win streak at Grand Slam tournaments
• Fell 1 shy of Lendl’s Open-Era record 18 straight finals when eye problem forced ret in Dubai QF (l. to Lopez)
• Added Madrid title for record-setting 29th ATP Masters 1000 championship (d. No. 2 Murray)

Muller 2016 FastFacts:
F(2): s-Hertogenbosch (l Mahut); Newport (l Karlovic); SF(3): Sydney (l Dimitrov); Sofia (l Bautista Agut); Nottingham (l Cuevas); QF: London / Queen’s Club (l Tomic)
YTD W-L: 25-16 (12-9 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 9, 1983
Emirates ATP Ranking: 37
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 3-1 (2015 3rd Round)

• Tournament Note: Made debut last year and reached 3R (d. Bester, No. 15 Monfils, l. to No. 3 Murray). Opened on Monday with 76 61 win over Tursunov
• Reached grass finals at ’s-Hertogenbosch (d. Karlovic, l. to Mahut) and Newport (l. to Karlovic in 3rd set TB after holding 3 MPs). Finished with career-best 13-5 record on grass (most wins on surface this year)
• Saved 10 MPs to beat Isner 36 76(16) 76(7) in London/Queen’s Club 2R (l. to Tomic in QF). Tied Schuettler (2004 Kitzbühel 2R) for most MPs on record saved by winner since Panatta (11) in ‘76 Rome 1R
• Advanced to SFs at Sydney (d. Thiem in 2R, l. to Dimitrov), Sofia (l. to Bautista Agut) and Nottingham (l. to Cuevas)
• Rallied from 2 sets down, hit career-high 51 aces and saved 4 MPs vs. Giraldo in Wimbledon 1R (l. to Kuznetsov in 2R)
• Has 7-32 career record vs. Top 10 opponents (0-5 vs. No. 1s) and last win came over No. 10 Simon in QF in Tokyo last October

Tomas Berdych (CZE) / Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs [4] Rohan Bopanna (IND) / Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) First Meeting

• Berdych and Stepanek reached the semi-finals last year at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris
• Stepanek is currently No. 34 in Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings with 18 career titles
• Bopanna and Rojer hold a strong doubles ranking of No. 15 and No. 12, respectively, and hold 35 doubles titles between them

[4] Milos Raonic (CAN) vs Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) Raonic Leads 2-0
11 Johannesburg (South Africa) Hard R32 Milos Raonic 6-3 6-3
14 ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo Clay R32 Milos Raonic 6-7(4) 6-2 6-1

Raonic 2016 FastFacts:
W: Brisbane (d. Federer); F(3): Indian Wells (l. Djokovic); London (l. Murray); Wimbledon (l. Murray); SF: Australian Open (l. Murray); QF(3): Miami (l. Kyrgios); Monte Carlo (l. Murray); Madrid (l. Djokovic)
YTD W-L: 37-9 (17-3 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 8
Date of Birth: December 27, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 7
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 8-6 (2013 Finalist)

• Tournament Note: In his first tournament since the Wimbledon final, Raonic is making his seventh appearance in the main draw. His past success includes appearances in the final in 2013 (l. to Nadal) and the quarter-finals in 2012 (l. to Isner) and 2014 (l. to Lopez). Last year he lost in his opening match after 1R bye to Karlovic in two tie-breaks
• Became 1st Canadian man and 2nd Canadian overall to reach major singles final at Wimbledon (d. Federer in SF in five sets, l. to No. 2 Murray). En route to Wimbledon final, earned 1st win from 2 sets down to beat Goffin, then defeated No. 3 Federer in 5 sets
• Also fell to No. 2 Murray in London/Queen’s Club final after leading 7-6 3-0
• Won first 9 matches of season, highlighted by 8th career title at Brisbane (d. No. 3 Federer)
• Upset No. 4 Wawrinka in 5 sets en route to Australian Open SF (l. to No. 2 Murray in 5 sets)
• Played in 3rd ATP Masters 1000 final at Indian Wells (d. No. 7 Berdych, Monfils and Goffin; l. to No. 1 Djokovic)
• Reached ATP Masters 1000 QFs at Miami (l. to Kyrgios), Monte-Carlo (l. to Murray) and Madrid (l. to Djokovic)
• Advanced to Roland Garros 4R (l. to Ramos-Viñolas)
• Withdrew from Delray Beach, Acapulco and Davis Cup 1R due to muscular tear sustained in Australian Open SF

Lu 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 3-3 (2-1 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: August 14, 1983
Emirates ATP Ranking: 70
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 4-7 (2010 3rd Round)

• Tournament Note: The 32-year-old Chinese Taipei native is making his eighth straight Rogers Cup appearance and best result came in 2010 when he qualified and advanced to 3R (d. Duclos, Mathieu, l. to Kohlschreiber). Also reached 2R in 2014 (d. Granollers, l. to No. 5 Berdych). Last year qualified and lost to Pospisil in 1R. Opened on Tuesday with 75 63 win over #NextGen German teenage star Zverev
• Extended all-time record with 23rd and 24th Challenger titles at Surbiton, GBR (d. Copil) and Ilkley, GBR (d. Millot)
• Reached Challenger finals at Seoul, KOR (l. to Stakhovsky after holding 7 MPs) and Manchester, GBR (l. to Brown)
• Fell to No. 1 Djokovic in Roland Garros 1R and No. 2 Murray in Wimbledon 2R
• Underwent right elbow surgery on January 18 and did not make season debut until week of May 9
• Has a 7-25 career record vs. Top 10 opponents and looking to break six-match losing streak since last win came over No. 5 Berdych in 2R at 2014 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs [WC] Denis Shapovalov (CAN) First Meeting

Dimitrov 2016 FastFacts:
F(2): Sydney (l Troicki); Istanbul (l Schwartzman); SF: Delray Beach (l Ram); QF(2): Brisbane (l Federer); Acapulco (l Thiem)
YTD W-L: 21-16 (15-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: May 16, 1991
Emirates ATP Ranking: 40
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 5-3 (2014 Semi-finalist)

• Tournament Note: The 25-year-old Bulgarian is making his fourth straight Rogers Cup appearance and best result came two years ago when he came in ranked No. 8 (1R bye, d. Young, Robredo, Anderson, l. to eventual champ Tsonga). Last year (d. Dolgopolov, l. to Sock in 2R). Opened on Monday with 57 76 64 win over Sugita
• Snapped 7-match losing streak vs. Top 10 opponents by beating No. 2 Murray in Miami 3R (l. to Monfils in 4R)
• Held 1 MP in Sydney final before falling to Troicki 76 in 3rd set. Also in Istanbul final, led by a set and 5-2 yet lost to Schwartzman 67(5) 76(4) 60
• Advanced to SF at Delray Beach (l. to Ram) and QFs at Brisbane (l. to No. 3 Federer) and Acapulco (l. to Thiem)
• Reached 3R at Australian Open (l. to No. 3 Federer) and Wimbledon (d. Simon, l. to Johnson)
• Suffered 6-match losing streak from May 1 to June 27

Shapovalov 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 1-1 (1-1 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: April 15, 1999
Emirates ATP Ranking: 370 (Career-high)
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2016 2nd Round)

• Tournament Note: The 17-year-old wild card is the youngest player and one of six Canadians in main draw. He topped No. 11 seed Nick Kyrgios 76 36 63 in 1R on Monday night to notch his first career ATP World Tour match win. Youngest Canadian to win a main draw singles match at Rogers Cup
• Will crack Top 300 in Emirates ATP Rankings next week around No. 291 and already youngest player in Top 400
• Playing in second career ATP World Tour tournament after falling in debut last week in Washington (l. to Lacko in three sets)
• Has climbed over 700 positions in Emirates ATP Rankings since January when he was No. 1,132
• A winner of three Futures titles in the U.S., winning in January and twice in April
• In second career ATP Challenger Tour event in Drummondville in March, reached SF (l. to Evans)
• Currently No. 2 junior in world rankings after winning back-to-back titles at Roehampton and Wimbledon. Also SF at Roland Garros.

Grandstand

[9] John Isner (USA) vs [Q] Ryan Harrison (USA) Isner Leads 5-1
10 Memphis (U.S.A.) Hard R32 John Isner 6-1 7-5
12 Newport (U.S.A.) Grass SF John Isner 7-6(4) 6-3
13 Sydney (Australia) Hard R16 Ryan Harrison 6-4 6-4
13 Houston (U.S.A.) Clay R32 John Isner 7-6(4) 6-4
13 Roland Garros (France) Clay R64 John Isner 5-7 6-7(7) 6-3 6-1 8-6
13 Newport (U.S.A.) Grass R32 John Isner 7-6(0) 6-2

Isner 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Houston (l Sock); QF(2): Auckland (l Bautista Agut); Washington (l Johnson)
YTD W-L: 20-13 (10-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 10
Date of Birth: April 26, 1985
Emirates ATP Ranking: 16
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 9-6 (2012 Semi-finalist)

• Tournament Note: The 31-year-old American is making his seventh appearance in eight years (except 2010) and best result came in 2012 with SF (1R bye, d. Andujar, Kohlschreiber, Raonic, l. to Gasquet). Last year reached quarter-finals (l. to Chardy in three TBs, held 7 match pts). Opened on Monday with 46 63 62 win over Sela
• Last week, reached quarter-finals in Washington (l. to Johnson in two TBs). Has 23-20 TB record in ‘16
• Reached 4R at Australian Open (l. to No. 8 Ferrer) and Roland Garros (d. Gabashvili in 5 sets, l. to No. 2 Murray)
• Defeated Groth and Tomic to lead USA to 3-1 win over Australia in Davis Cup 1R; then beat Coric and lost to Cilic as U.S. fell 3-2 to Croatia in Davis Cup QF
• Hit 49 aces and 0 DFs in 4-set win over Tomic, including fastest serve ever in a tour-level match (157 mph)
• Earned 300th win of career over Edmund in Roland Garros 2R on May 25
• Advanced to Auckland QF (d. Querrey, l. to Bautista Agut) and Houston SF (d. Chung, l. to Sock)
• Lost 6 matches 76 in 3rd (5 matches holding MP): Buenos Aires 2R vs. Lajovic (held 1 MP), Rio de Janeiro 1R vs. Pella (held 3 MPs), Indian Wells 4R vs. No. 6 Nishikori (held 1 MP), Miami 2R vs. Smyczek, Geneva 2R vs. Rosol and London/Queen’s Club 2R vs. Muller (held 10 MPs). Also held 1 MP in Wimbledon 3R before falling to Tsonga 19-17 in 5th after 4 hrs., 24 mins.
• Withdrew from ATP Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome due to knee injury

Harrison 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 6-6 (6-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 7, 1992
Emirates ATP Ranking: 144
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2016 2nd Round)

• Tournament Note: The 24-year-old Shreveport, La. native qualified into his first Rogers Cup main draw with wins over Barry 76 75 & Mischa Zverev 57 63 63. Opened on Monday with 63 61 win over Kuznetsov
• Last week in Washington, qualified and beat Robert and No. 10 seed Troicki before losing in 3R (l. to Johnson)
• Also qualified and reached 2R at Acapulco (d. Cilic, l. to Marchenko 76 in 3rd) and Indian Wells (d. Lajovic, l. to Cilic)
• Saved 4 MPs to defeat Nedovyesov and qualify for Australian Open (l. to Kuznetsov in 1R)
• Also saved 1 MP to defeat Tiafoe in Memphis 1R (l. to No. 7 Nishikori in 2R)
• Advanced to Tallahassee, USA Challenger SF (d. Rubin, l. to Tiafoe)
• Captured Savannah, USA Challenger doubles title w/Baker (d. Raja/Sharan 10-8 in Match TB)
• At Irving, USA Challenger, saved 10 MPs vs. Rublev in 1R before falling 76 in 3rd on Russian’s 11th MP

[6] Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Kevin Anderson (RSA) Anderson Leads 4-0
14 Australian Open (Australia) Hard R64 Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-3 6-4
14 Tokyo (Japan) Hard R32 Kevin Anderson 7-6(5) 6-4
15 US Open (U.S.A.) Hard R32 Kevin Anderson 6-3 7-6(3) 7-6(3)
15 ATP Masters 1000 Paris (France)Hard R32 Kevin Anderson 6-7(3) 7-6(4) 7-6(5)

Thiem 2016 FastFacts:
W(4): Buenos Aires (d. Almagro); Acapulco (d. Tomic); Nice (d. A. Zverev); Stuttgart (d. Kohlschreiber); F: Munich (l. Kohlschreiber); SF(4): Brisbane (l. Federer); Roland Garros (l. Djokovic); Halle (l. Mayer); Rio de Janeiro (l. Pella); QF: Rome (l. Nishikori)
YTD W-L: 48-14 (16-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 4 / Career Titles: 7
Date of Birth: September 3, 1993
Emirates ATP Ranking: 9
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 0-2 (2014-15 1st Round)

• Tournament Note: The 22-year-old is looking for his first Rogers Cup win, having lost in the 1R the past two years
• Reached 1st Grand Slam SF at Roland Garros (d. Goffin, l. to No. 1 Djokovic) and afterwards broke into Top 10 and rose to career-high No. 7 in Emirates ATP Rankings on June 6
• Youngest player in Top 10 since Raonic (Aug. 12, 2013), 3rd Austrian overall and 1st since J. Melzer (May 30, 2011)
• Saved 1 MP in Buenos Aires 2R (d. Elias) and SF (d. No. 5 Nadal), as well as 2 MPs in Stuttgart SF (d. No. 3 Federer)
• Runner-up at Munich (l. to Kohlschreiber 76 in 3rd) – only loss in 20 deciding sets this season
• Defeated No. 2 Federer at Rome for biggest win of career by ranking to reach 2nd ATP Masters 1000 QF
• Earned 1st 3 Davis Cup victories of career to lead Austria to 4-1 win over Portugal in Europe/Africa Zone Group I
• Retired in Sydney 2R against Muller due to blisters and withdrew from Hamburg due to illness

Thiem is among the top 4 of this year’s ATP World Tour title leaders:

– Novak Djokovic 6 – Dominic Thiem 4 – Andy Murray 3 – Stan Wawrinka 3

Anderson 2016 FastFacts:
QF(3): Auckland (l Sock); Nice (l Sousa); Nottingham (l Johnson)
YTD W-L: 6-11 (2-4 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: May 18, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 34
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 8-6 (2014 Quarter-finalist)

• Tournament Note: The 30-year-old South African is making his seventh straight appearance and best result came two years ago when he reached quarter-finals (d. No. Fognini in 2R, No. 4 Wawrinka in 3R, l. to No. 8 Dimitrov in 3rd set TB). Also 3R in 2010 as a qualifier (l. to No. 1 Nadal) and in 2011 (d. No. 4 Murray in 2R, l. to Wawrinka in three sets). Last year lost in 1R (l. to Rosol in two TBs)
• In May, returned following 10-week injury absence & fell in 1R at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid (l. to Monfils)
• Received 1R byes and reached QFs at Auckland (l. to Sock), Nice (l. to Sousa) and Nottingham (l. to Johnson)
• As World No. 20, qualified at London/Queen’s Club (l. to Tomic in 1R)
• In Wimbledon 1R, suffered 4th loss of career from 2 sets up and held 1 MP vs. Istomin
• Retired from 2 matches and withdrew from 8 tournaments due to left knee and right shoulder injuries
• Also underwent minor ankle surgery on March 15
• Has 10-47 career record vs. Top 10 opponents and last win came over No. 6 Nishikori in Shanghai last yr.

[8] Marin Cilic (CRO) vs Ivo Karlovic (CRO) Cilic Leads 2-1
10 Zagreb (Croatia) Hard QF Marin Cilic 7-6(6) 6-4
11 ATP Masters 1000 Rome (Italy) Clay R64 Marin Cilic 6-4 1-0 ret
14 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard R64 Ivo Karlovic 7-5 2-6 7-6(2)

Cilic 2016 FastFacts:
F(2): Geneva (l. Wawrinka); Marseille (l. Kyrgios); SF: London (l. Murray); QF(4): Brisbane (l. Thiem); Indian Wells (l. Goffin); Rotterdam (l. Kohlschreiber); Wimbledon (l Federer)
YTD W-L: 24-15 (13-9 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 14
Date of Birth: September 28, 1988
Emirates ATP Ranking: 12
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 8-7 (2008 Quarter-finalist)

• Tournament Note: The 27-year-old Croat is making his eighth appearance in nine years (except 2013) and best result was QF in 2008 debut (d. No. 6 Roddick, Haas, l. to Simon). Also 3R in 2011-12 and 2014
• Advanced to 3rd straight Wimbledon QF, falling to No. 3 Federer after leading by 2 sets and holding 3 MPs
• Reached finals at Marseille (l. to Kyrgios) and Geneva (d. Ferrer, l. to No. 4 Wawrinka)
• Also reached London/Queen’s Club SF (d. Johnson, l. to No. 2 Murray in 3 sets)
• Fell to 0-8 lifetime in ATP Masters 1000 QFs at Indian Wells (l. to Goffin)
• Snapped 11-match losing streak vs. Top 10 opponents with win over No. 10 Gasquet in Indian Wells 4R
• Helped Croatia to 3-2 Davis Cup 1R win over Belgium (d. Coppejans, l. to Goffin)
• Withdrew from ATP Masters 1000 events at Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome due to knee injury

Karlovic 2016 FastFacts:
W: Newport (d Muller); F: Washington (l Monfils); SF(2): Istanbul (l Dimitrov); s-Hertogenbosch (l Muller)
YTD W-L: 17-14 (5-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 7
Date of Birth: February 28, 1979
Emirates ATP Ranking: 27
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 7-7 (2011, 2015 3rd Round)

• Tournament Note: The 37-year-old Croat is making his eighth Rogers Cup appearance and his best result is 3R in 2011 (l. to No. 9 Berdych) and last year (d. No. 10 Raonic in 2R, l. to Chardy in three sets). Opened on Tuesday with 29 aces in 67 76 62 win over Fritz in 1R and has won nine of past 10 matches
• Coming off a runner-up effort in Washington where he held match point before falling 57 76 64 to Monfils. Held 53 straight service games in tournament before getting broken serving for match in second set. Finished with 28 aces in match and 108 for tournament. Ranking improved from No. 35 to No. 27
• Previous week claimed 7th career ATP World Tour title in Newport (d. Muller, saving 3 MPs); at 37 years, 4 months, became oldest ATP World Tour singles winner since Marty Riessen (37 years, 9 months) in 1979 (Lafayette, La.)
• At Roland Garros, beat Thompson 12-10 in 5th to become oldest player to reach Grand Slam 3R since Connors at 1991 US Open (l. to No. 2 Murray in 3R)
• Ended 8-match losing streak (back to last year) with 1st wins of season to reach Istanbul SF (d. Lajovic and Granollers, l. to Dimitrov). Since 0-6 start, has compiled a 16-8 match record in past nine tournaments
• Win over Lajovic in Istanbul 2R on April 28 served as 300th victory of career • Also reached SF at ’s-Hertogenbosch (d. Sijsling and Mannarino, l. to Muller)
• Suffered 11th straight loss in a final-set tiebreak, squandering 2 MPs vs. Kudla in ATP Masters 1000 Madrid 1R. Streak ended in Newport final where he prevailed 14-12 in longest decisive set TB in an ATP final in Open Era
• Retired in 2 matches and withdrew from 3 events between January and March due to left knee injury

[10] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs Vasek Pospisil (CAN) Monfils Leads 2-0
12 CAN vs. FRA WG 1st RD (Canada) Hard RR Gael Monfils 6-4 6-4
13 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (China) Hard R32 Gael Monfils 7-5 7-6(4)

Monfils 2016 FastFacts:
W: Washington (d Karlovic); F(2): Rotterdam (l Klizan); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo (l Nadal); QF(3): Australian Open (l Raonic); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l Raonic); ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami (l Nishikori)
YTD W-L: 27-9 (20-5 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 6
Date of Birth: September 1, 1986
Emirates ATP Ranking: 14
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 8-6 (2011 Quarter-finalist)

• Tournament Note: The 29-year-old Frenchman is appearing in his seventh Rogers Cup and best result is quarter-finals in 2011 (1R bye, d. No. 15 Troicki, l. to No. 1 Djokovic). Also 3R in 2010 (l. to No. 4 Murray). Lost in 2R last two years in third set TB (l. to No. 1 Djokovic in 2014, Muller last year). Opened on Tuesday with 62 63 win over Sousa
• Comes in after winning ATP World Tour 500 level title in Washington (d. Karlovic, saved 1 MP), biggest of his career and sixth overall (6-19). It was also his first title on U.S. soil (1-2)
• Improved from No. 17 to No. 14 by winning title and to No. 9 in Emirates Race to London
• Reached 3rd ATP Masters 1000 final at Monte-Carlo (d. No. 9 Tsonga, l. to No. 5 Nadal in 3 sets)
• Also reached ATP Masters 1000 QFs at Indian Wells (l. to Raonic) and Miami (l. to No. 6 Nishikori after 5 MPs)
• Advanced to 1st Australian Open QF in 11th appearance (l. to Raonic)
• Lost to Klizan in Rotterdam championship match in February
• Won 8th straight Davis Cup match to open France’s 5-0 sweep of Canada in 1R (d. Dancevic)
• Withdrew from Marseille (right leg), Munich (groin strain), Roland Garros (virus) and Halle (virus)

Pospisil 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 6-18 (5-9 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: June 23, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 101
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 8-5 (2013 Semi-finalist)

• Tournament Note: The No. 2 Canadian is making his sixth straight main draw appearance and his best result came in 2013 when he reached semi-finals (d. No. 20 Isner, Stepanek, No. 6 Berdych, Davydenko, l. to Raonic in third set TB). Also 2R in 2011-12 and last year. Opened on Tuesday with 76 ret. win over Chardy. All five losses have come to Top 15 opponents
• Yet to win back-to-back main draw singles matches this season
• Slipped out of Top 100 in Emirates ATP Rankings this week at No. 101 for first time since July 7, 2013
• Snapped 7-match main draw losing streak at Nottingham (1R bye, d. Dzumhur in 2R, l. to Johnson in 3R)
• Went 0-6 in sets during Canada’s 5-0 loss to France in Davis Cup 1R (l. to Simon, w/Bester l. to Gasquet/Tsonga)
• Fell to frequent doubles partner Sock in Auckland 2R (1st H2H meeting)
• Captured 6th ATP World Tour doubles title at Rotterdam w/Mahut (d. Peya/Petzschner)
• Reached ATP Masters 1000 finals w/Sock at Indian Wells (l. to Herbert/Mahut) and Rome (l. to Bryan/Bryan)
• Withdrew from Newport due to back injury

[3] Ivan Dodig (CRO) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) vs Marin Cilic (CRO) / Marin Draganja (CRO) First Meeting

• Dodig and Melo hold 4 titles together, including Paris (2015), Roland Garros (2015), Acapulco (2015) and Shanghai (2013)
• This marks the third tournament this year for Cilic and Draganja as a doubles team

Court 1

Polansky 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 1-1 (1-1 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: June 15, 1988
Emirates ATP Ranking: 174
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 4-8 (2009-10, 2014 2nd Round)

• Tournament Note: At 28, Canadian is looking to reach 3R for first time at Rogers Cup. Opened on Monday with 46 63 60 win over American qualifier Smyczek
• Qualified at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Verdasco in 1R)
• Also qualified at Challengers in Happy Valley, AUS (l. to Satral in 2R) and Morelos, MEX (l. to Zeballos in 2R)
• Fell in 1R of qualifying at Australian Open (l. to Ward)
• Won Challenger doubles title at Morelos, MEX w/Bester (d. Arevalo/Galdos 10-6 in Match TB)

Stepanek 2016 FastFacts:
QF: Stuttgart (l Kohlschreiber)
YTD W-L: 8-7 (3-2 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 5
Date of Birth: November 27, 1978
Emirates ATP Ranking: 129
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 10-11 (2007 Semi-finalist)

• Tournament Note: The Czech Republic native qualified into main draw and is the oldest player in singles draw at 37y, 7m. Posted 61 63 win on Tuesday over No. 14 seed Paire and 10th singles match win at Rogers Cup. Oldest player to win a singles match in Canada since Marty Riessen (37 yrs., 8 mons.) in 1979. Also oldest to win an ATP Masters 1000 match since Jimmy Connors (39 yrs., 6 mons.) in 1992 Miami (3R)
• Has qualified an ATP World Tour-best six times in main draw this season and won at least 1 main draw match at Australian Open, Barcelona and ATP Masters 1000 Madrid
• Reached Aus. Open 2R (l. to No. 4 Wawrinka), Barcelona 3R (l. to Kuznetsov) and Madrid 2R (l. to No. 2 Murray)
• Also qualified at Roland Garros, where he led No. 2 Murray by 2 sets in 1R before falling 75 in 5th
• Oldest player to win a tour-level singles match since 38-year-old El Aynaoui at 2010 Doha
• Advanced to 5th Grand Slam doubles final at Aus. Open w/Nestor (d. Cuevas/Granollers, l. to J. Murray/Soares)
• Stepanek, 37, and Nestor, 43, became oldest team to reach a Grand Slam men’s doubles final in Open Era

[WC] Steven Diez (CAN) vs [12] Bernard Tomic (AUS) First Meeting

Diez 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 1-2 (1-0 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: March 17, 1991
Emirates ATP Ranking: 192
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2016 2nd Round)

• Tournament Note: Diez posted his first career ATP World Tour match win over Kyle Edmund in the first round
• ATP results this year include first round losses at both Hamburg (l. Wessels) and Estoril (l. Daniel)

Tomic 2016 FastFacts:
F: Acapulco (l Thiem); SF(2): Brisbane (l Raonic); London/Queen’s Club (l Raonic); QF(3): Sydney (l Gabashvili); Quito (l Lorenzi); s-Hertogenbosch (l Mahut)
YTD W-L: 24-17 (14-7 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 3
Date of Birth: October 21, 1992
Emirates ATP Ranking: 22
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 5-5 (2015 3rd Round)

• Tournament Note: The 23-year-old Australian is making his sixth consecutive appearance and last year turned in his best result, a 3R showing with wins over Sousa and No. 8 Cilic (l. to Tsonga). In first two years, reached 2R in 2011 (l. to Tsonga) and 2012 (l. to No. 2 Djokovic). Opened on Monday with 64 76 win over qualifier A. Gonzalez
• Reached 5th career final at Acapulco – 1st at an ATP World Tour 500 event (l. to Thiem in 3 sets)
• Achieved career-high of No. 17 in Emirates ATP Rankings on January 11
• Advanced to SFs at Brisbane (d. No. 8 Nishikori, l. to Raonic) and London/Queen’s Club (l. to No. 9 Raonic)
• Reached 4R at Australian Open (l. to No. 2 Murray) and Wimbledon (d. Verdasco in 5 sets of 1R, l. to Pouille 10-8 in 5th)
• Suffered 5-match losing streak from March to May before reaching Roland Garros 2R (d. Baker, l. to Coric)
• Retired in Sydney QF vs. Gabashvili (fatigue), Indian Wells 3R vs. Raonic (right wrist) and Rome 1R vs. Paire (flu)
• Withdrew from ATP Masters 1000 events at Miami and Monte-Carlo due to right wrist injury

[16] Jack Sock (USA) vs Donald Young (USA) Sock Leads 1-0
15 Basel (Switzerland) Hard QF Jack Sock 5-7 6-4 6-2

Other meeting:
13 Winnetka CH (U.S.A.) Hard QF Jack Sock 6-3 6-4

Sock 2016 FastFacts:
F(2): Auckland (l Bautista Agut); Houston (l Monaco); QF: Washington (l Karlovic)
YTD W-L: 21-13 (11-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: September 24, 1992
Emirates ATP Ranking: 26
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 4-2 (2015 3rd Round)

• Tournament Note: The 23-year-old American is appearing in main draw for third straight year and last season reached 3R with wins over Mannarino and No. 17 Dimitrov (l. to No. 1 Djokovic). Two years ago, lost in 2R (l. to No. 6 Raonic in third set TB). Opened on Monday with a 62 62 win over countryman Kudla
• Last week advanced to QF in Washington (l. to Karlovic in two TBs)
• Singles runner-up at Auckland (d. No. 8 Ferrer, ret vs. Bautista Agut) and Houston (d. Isner, l. to Monaco)
• Advanced to Wimbledon 3R for 1st time, losing 8th straight meeting with No. 7 Raonic

Young 2016 FastFacts:
SF: Newport (l Muller); QF: Memphis (l Berankis)
YTD W-L: 13-14 (6-8 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: July 23, 1989
Emirates ATP Ranking: 57
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 4-4 (2015 3rd Round)

• Tournament Note: The 26-year-old American is making his fifth Rogers Cup appearance and best result came last year as a qualifier (d. Kudla, No. 6 Berdych, l. to Gulbis in 3R). Also 2R two years ago (d. Dancevic, l. to No. 8 Dimitrov in three sets). Made debut in 2008 as a qualifier (l. to Simon in 1R)
• Reached first ATP World Tour SF of season at Newport (l. to Muller), first career SF on grass, posting first back-to-back tour-level wins in 2016
• Won 1 main draw match at Auckland, Memphis, Delray Beach, Acapulco, Houston, Nice as Q, London/Queen’s Club as Q and Wimbledon

Court 4

Pouille 2016 FastFacts:
F: Bucharest (l Verdasco); SF: ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome (l Murray); QF(2): Brisbane (l Raonic); Wimbledon (l Berdych)
YTD W-L: 21-14 (7-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: February 23, 1994
Emirates ATP Ranking: 23
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2016 2nd Round)

Ram 2016 FastFacts:
F: Delray Beach (l Querrey)
YTD W-L: 11-14 (8-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 2
Date of Birth: March 18, 1984
Emirates ATP Ranking: 118
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 1-1 (2016 2nd Round)

Sam Querrey (USA) vs [7] David Goffin (BEL) Goffin Leads 1-0
15 ATP Masters 1000 Montreal (Canada) Hard R32 David Goffin 6-4 6-4

Querrey 2016 FastFacts:
W: Delray Beach (d Ram); SF(3): Memphis (l Nishikori); Acapulco (l Thiem); s-Hertogenbosch (l Mahut); QF(3): Houston (l Monaco); Wimbledon (l Raonic); Washington (l Monfils)
YTD W-L: 27-16 (15-7 on hard)
YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 8
Date of Birth: October 7, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 29
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 5-5 (2012 3rd Round)

Goffin 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 31-13 (14-6 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: December 7, 1990
Emirates ATP Ranking: 11
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 2-2 (2015 3rd Round)

[Q] Jared Donaldson (USA) vs Fabio Fognini (ITA) First Meeting

Donaldson 2016 FastFacts:
YTD W-L: 2-5 (2-4 on hard)
YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: October 9, 1996
Emirates ATP Ranking: 147
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 1-0 (2016 2nd Round)

Fognini 2016 FastFacts:
W: Umag (d Martin); SF: Munich (l Kohlschreiber); QF(2): Auckland (l Tsonga); Barcelona (l Nadal)
YTD W-L: 16-13 (3-2 on hard)
TD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 4
Date of Birth: May 24, 1987
Emirates ATP Ranking: 33
Rogers Cup W-L (Best Result): 7-7 (2007 3rd Round)

Stan Wawrinka got his Rogers Cup campaign off to a successful start on Tuesday, advancing to the third round with a 7-6(3), 7-6(8) win over Mikhail Youzhny. The pair traded breaks in the first set and, in the eventual tie-break, Wawrinka sealed the opener on his first set point opportunity with a backhand winner. Youzhny regrouped and raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but the Swiss broke back in the fifth game for 2-3. Again in a tie-break, the second seed sealed victory on his third match point after two hours.

Watch Youzhny Hot Shot

The 31-year-old Swiss, who hit 31 winners, next faces either No. 16 seed Jack Sock or Donald Young in the third round. A three-time titlist this year (Chennai, Dubai, Geneva), Wawrinka is making his tenth appearance at the Rogers Cup. His best result was a quarter-final showing in 2011 (l. to Fish).

Young set a second-round clash with Sock after prevailing in his opener against Alexandr Dolgopolov, 7-6(6), 6-4. Nothing separated the players in the first set, with both holding serve all the way through and winning 50 points each, but it was Young who managed to convert on his second set point in the tie-break at 7/6. The American then rallied from 1-4 down in the second set to take the match. 

Earlier, Lucas Pouille was two points away from losing against qualifier Emilio Gomez, but the No. 13 seed rallied to win their opening round match, 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-5. Gomez, the son of 1990 Roland Garros champion Andres Gomez, saved a set point serving at 5-6 in the opening set and another down 6/7 in the tie-break before converting on his second set point. Pouille grabbed the lone break of serve in the second set to lead 4-3 and held the slight edge to force a deciding set.

The Frenchman served to stay in the match at 4-5, then broke Gomez in the next game before closing out the contest on his serve. The victory gave Pouille his first ATP World Tour main draw win in Canada. Next up for him in the second-round is Rajeev Ram, who won 90 per cent of his first serve points to advance earlier in the day over Ernests Gulbis, 6-4, 6-2. 

Qualifier Dennis Novikov recorded his first main draw win at an ATP World Tour event by moving past Federico Delbonis, 6-4, 6-3. Novikov, ranked No. 131 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, converted on the lone break point chances he had in each set while saving both break points against him in the match. The American will now square off against a Top 10 player for the first time when he takes on No. 3 seed Kei Nishikori in the next round.

In-form Croatian Ivo Karlovic fought back in three sets to beat NextGen player Taylor Fritz 6-7(9), 7-6(5), 6-2, and set up a second-round meeting with his countryman, eighth seed Marin Cilic. Karlovic, who reached the final in Washington last week and won the title in Newport the week before, broke twice in the deciding set before serving it out after two hours and 17 minutes. He finished with 29 aces.