Although Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer withdrew from the tournament, many of tennis’ top stars will be competing in the 2012 Rogers Cup. Milos Raonic from Thornhill, Ont., is in the tournament as a seeded player due to Federer’s withdrawal. It takes place from August 4-12 at the Rexall Centre in Toronto with coverage on Sportsnet beginning Aug. 6. Here is a look at the top players competing in the tournament to get you primed for all the action.
Novak Djokovic
Seed: 1
Age: 25
Country: Serbia
2012 Match Record: 41-7
2012 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 30
2011 Rogers Cup result: Defeated Mardy Fish to win the tournament.
Topspin: Currently the No. 2 ranked male tennis player in the world … Has a career singles record of 435-118 … Was the top-ranked player for months but Federer has since leapfrogged him … Coming off a top-four finish at the London 2012 Olympic Games … This will be his sixth Rogers Cup.
Andy Murray
Seed: 2
Age: 25
Country: Scotland
2012 Match Record: 32-10
2012 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 22
2011 Rogers Cup result: Lost in the second round to Kevin Anderson.
Topspin: Currently the No. 4 ranked male tennis player in the world … Has a career singles record of 355-117 … Murray is a two-time Rogers Cup champion, winning the tournament in 2009 and 2010 … This will be his seventh Rogers Cup.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Seed: 3
Age: 27
Country: France
2012 Match Record: 55-24
2012 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 8
2011 Rogers Cup result: Lost in the semifinals to Djokovic.
Topspin: Currently the No. 6 ranked male tennis player in the world … Has a career singles record of 223-100 … Coming off an epic win over Raonic at the Olympics … This will be his third Rogers Cup.
Tomas Berdych
Seed: 4
Age: 26
Country: Czech Republic
2012 Match Record: 35-12
2012 Singles Titles:1
Career Singles Titles:7
2011 Rogers Cup result: Lost in the quarter-finals to Janko Tipsarevic.
Topspin: Currently the No. 7 ranked male tennis player in the world … Has a career singles record of 350-203 … Has never made it past the quarterfinals in this tournamnet … Is a huge hockey fan … This will be his eighth Rogers Cup.
Mardy Fish
Seed: 11
Age: 30
Country: United States
2012 Match Record: 10-8
2012 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 6
2011 Rogers Cup result: Lost in the finals to Djokovic.
Topspin: Currently the No. 15 ranked male tennis player in the world … Has a career singles record of 285-207 … Looks to build on his finals appearance from last year … This will be his fourth Rogers Cup.
Janko Tipsarevic
Seed: 5
Age: 28
Country: Serbia
2012 Match Record: 39-15
2012 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 3
2011 Rogers Cup result: Lost in the semifinals to Fish.
Topspin: Currently the No. 8 ranked male tennis player in the world … Has a career singles record of 39-15 … Has dropped in the ATP rankings this year but looks to turn things around in Toronto … This will be his fourth Rogers Cup.
Milos Raonic
Seed: 16
Age: 21
Country: Canada
2012 Match Record: 28-11
2012 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 3
2011 Rogers Cup result: Did not compete because of a hip injury.
Topspin: Currently the No. 23 ranked male tennis player in the world … Has a career singles record of 63-37 … Seems to get better with each outing and his experience at the Olympics and the fact he is the hometown favourite should lend itself in this year’s tournament … This will be his fourth Rogers Cup.
Other notables participating in the 2012 Rogers Cup are 28-year-old Argentinean Juan Monaco who has three singles wins this year and American John Isner who is coming off a decent showing at Wimbledon.
In addition to Raonic, Canadians Vasek Pospisil, Peter Polansky and Frank Dancevic will look to win the tournament in their home country. They will, however, be in tough to advance past the round of 16.
The 2012 Rogers Cup takes place from August 4-12 and can be seen on various Sportsnet channels beginning on Aug. 6. Check Sportsnet’s TV Schedule for exact air times.