Top seeded Novak Djokovic and British number one Andy Murray are up for a stern test in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday. Djokovic will be up against Frenchman Gael Monfils, while Murray will lock horns with Australian sensation Nick Kyrgios.
Kyrgios registered his first victory in the ATP Masters by overpowering Santiago Giraldo in the first round. The Australian prodigy used his big serve effectively against Giraldo in a straight set victory and he is aiming to continue that.
"He's a great player, and I'm just going to go out there and just enjoy the experience to get to play another player like that," Kyrgios said. "I will hopefully serve well and keep it on my racquet and do the best I can out there."
Murray will be playing his first match since Wimbledon defeat in a bid to prepare for the US Open and he has been pitted against a dangerous opponent. However, the 2013 Wimbledon champion insisted that he is physically fine and there are no fitness concerns.
"I felt maybe what I was missing was just some physical strength," Murray said. "When you come back on the tour it is a bit of a recovery process. Over the French Open and Wimbledon my back felt very good. Physically, it was fine."
Meanwhile, Djokovic, who made a winning start in the tournament pairing with Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the doubles, will start his singles campaign against Monfils. The Frenchman made a fine start in the tournament and overpowered Radek Stepanek in the opening round.
The top-seeded, who will be playing his first singles match since winning the Wimbledon title, insisted that he is playing the best tennis of the life and looking forward to the upcoming tournaments.
"Every season brings different challenges and obviously I'm at the stage of my career where I'm experiencing the best tennis," Djokovic said. "I'm at the pinnacle of my abilities and I will try to use that to my advantage in future tournaments."
"Obviously I cannot predict if I am able to win more majors or make myself deserve to be in the elite of all-time greats," he added. "But I will just take one day at a time and be grateful for everything that I have in this present moment."
Hometown hope Milos Raonic, fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer of Spain, Wimbledon semifinals Grigor Dimitrov, Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will also be in action in the second round of the Rogers Cup.
Schedule of Play: Second Round
Andy Murray vs Nick Kyrgios starts 8:30 pm IST
Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils starts 10:30 pm IST
Where to Watch live
The day's action is scheduled for an 8:30 pm IST (11:00 am ET, 4:00 pm BST and 3:00 pm GMT) start with live coverage on Star Sports in India and live streaming option HERE. Rogers Cup will also be streamed live HERE and HERE or catch the live updates HERE.
Sportsnet will telecast the matches live in Canada with live streaming option HERE or listen to the action live online HERE. ESPN 2 will telecast the matches live in the United States with an online streaming option HERE. In South Africa and sub-Sahara region the tournament will be available live on Super Sport with live online viewing option HERE.
