July 29, 2010

Peter Figura

With one week remaining until the tennis world descends upon Toronto for Rogers Cup presented by National Bank, many of the questions that remain from the conclusion of Wimbledon will soon be answered.

Rebounding may be a term used in basketball, but it's also what fans of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro will be wondering.

Federer, the most decorated Grand Slam male player of all time, is coming off back-to-back quarter-final exits in Paris and London. He returns to Toronto as the No. 3 ranked player in the world, something Canadians have not seen since 2003, when ranked third, he lost to eventual champion Andy Roddick. Making his ninth appearance in the Great White North, the 2004 and 2006 tournament champion has a lot of gas in the tank but has to answer questions about his game. Rogers Cup will be a great testing ground for the super Swiss before the U.S. Open – a tournament where he is defending finalist points and will be looking for his sixth New York title.

The reigning Rogers Cup presented by National Bank champion, Andy Murray, will look to come back from a consecutive semifinal loss at his home court in London. The pressure on Murray to succeed at Wimbledon can only be compared to what Canadians put on the Maple Leafs or Canadiens in hockey. Murray is scheduled to play a lot of tennis in the Olympus U.S. Open Series, including Toronto. He knocked off Argentine Del Potro in three sets during last year's final in Montreal. Murray is still looking for his first ATP World Tour title of 2010 and many agree that Rogers Cup may be his best chance.

The biggest question mark of the summer is the return of Del Potro, the 21-year-old with the hardest forehand on the planet. He has not seen action since his five-set loss to Marin Cilic in the fourth round at the Australian Open. The man who knocked Federer off the throne at the U.S. Open is coming off an incredible season. A nagging wrist injury put Del Potro under the knife earlier this year and was expected to miss most of the season. Word started spreading a few weeks ago that he may be ready for the last half of the hard court season. Currently ranked seventh, he has too many points to defend in Toronto and New York to not speed up his return. However, patience has often been the most valuable virtue of any high performance athlete. He's hitting the courts now so it's a wait and see approach for fans of Del Potro.

A Del Potro return would mean that each of the Top 10 players in the world would again play Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. At a time of year when there are generally more questions than answers, the picture could be quite clear in Canada next week.