Fantasy » Re-adjusting to

TORONTO -- Novak Djokovic heard the names of the players he could face in his opening match at the Rogers Cup and buried his head in his arms. The worlds top mens tennis player didnt need that big of a test out of the gate. Djokovic wasnt happy about having to see either 22nd-ranked Gael Monfils or 35th-ranked Radek Stepanek right away, and he couldve done without Andy Murray being in his quarter of the draw, picked Friday afternoon at Queens Park. But beyond his tough road that awaits at the Toronto tournament, Djokovic cant help but smile given his recent fortune. Within the past month, the 27-year-old won Wimbledon and got married, and he and his new wife are expecting their first child soon. "Its been probably the best month Ive had in my life with Wimbledon title, with wedding and of course a baby coming up," Djokovic said. "Im going back to the business, back to my office, but of course filled with positive energy, with joy, all the beautiful emotions that a person can experience right now. Hopefully I can use that to perform well on the tennis court." Part of Djokovics joy is that hes playing some of the best tennis of his career. Winning at Wimbledon and in Rome and reaching the final of the French Open at Roland Garros gave him a sizable boost of confidence. At the Rogers Cup, which begins with qualifying rounds Saturday and Sunday while the main draw gets underway Monday, Djokovic returns to hard-court play for the first time since winning the Sony Open in Miami in March. Djokovic got to town Thursday with designs on getting some extra practice in. "One thing is to practise, the other thing is to play an official match," Djokovic said. "Im looking forward to the first match, even though the draw is terrible for me. Still, not my fault. Obviously thats something that I cannot influence." Djokovic was joking throughout the draw about the difficult path hell have to take in order to win his fourth Rogers Cup title. Murray, seeded eighth, would be his quarter-final opponent, and Djokovic would have to get through either third-seeded Stan Wawrinka or seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov to reach the final. Roger Federer, whom Djokovic beat in a memorable five-set match to capture this years Wimbledon trophy, headlines the bottom half of the draw as the second seed. Federer moved up after defending champion Rafael Nadal withdrew earlier this week because of a wrist injury. Even without Nadal, the Rogers Cup features what Ontarios lieutenant governor, David C. Onley, called "an A-list of international tennis stars." It doesnt get more A-list than Djokovic. "I really do wish you well in the tournament," Onley said to Djokovic. "As a Canadian, though, Im just wishing you a little bit well in the tournament." There are three Canadians in the field: sixth-seeded Milos Raonic, unseeded Vasek Pospisil and wild card Peter Polansky. Raonic, who on Friday beat Steve Johnson in Washington to reach the semifinals at the Citi Open, will face either American Jack Sock or Austrian Jurgen Melzer after his first-round bye. Raonic lost to Federer in the semifinals at Wimbledon, and his game is on the rise whether his friend Djokovic likes it or not. Djokovic joked that Raonic "can get to No. 1 as soon as Im done with my career." He may not get his wish if Raonics rise continues. "He has the clear goal of what he wants to achieve and he says he wants to be the best, so there is a potential in him," Djokovic said. "Hes already an established top-10 player and hes becoming a player that plays really well on the big stage." This is yet another big stage for Raonic, who was born in Montenegro but grew up in Thornhill, Ont., just outside of Toronto. The three Canadians got spread out throughout the 64-player bracket. Vancouvers Pospisil got a rough draw as hell face Richard Gasquet in the first round, while Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., will face a qualifier and Polansky, also of Thornhill, will open against Polands Jerzy Janowicz. Seven qualifying spots will be filled this weekend. In the meantime, Djokovic will try to get continue his sharp play with the U.S. Open not far away. Re-adjusting to being on hard courts is the first step. "Looking at the results throughout my career, hard court is probably my most successful, most preferred surface," Djokovic said. "Its why I have always excitement for playing in events on this surface." Djokovic has plenty of reasons to be excited, whether its about marrying Jelena or becoming a father. Its good to be Djokovic right now. "Its a real joyful moment, and Im blessed to be in a position to play the sport that I love, to be successful in it now back to No. 1 and of course to be married, to become a parent soon," he said. "I cant ask for more from this life, to be honest. I try to nurture what I have and always seek to improve as a tennis player, to improve as a person and to love my wife, otherwise Ill be in trouble." On the court, Djokovic knows it would be difficult to match 2011, when he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But he still has time to make 2014 almost as successful. "Knowing that I have achieved something like that gives me of course always confidence and I do have high ambitions and expectations for myself wherever I go," he said. "Each year brings a new challenge, and I have matured as a player and as a person. I have gotten stronger in certain aspects of my game and physically, as well." 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Salomon Baratas Chinas Online .J. -- Pete Carroll said it was the suspension of linebacker Bruce Irvin last spring that finally got the attention of the rest of the Seattle Seahawks that they needed to be taking their commitment to the team more seriously.Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Joffrey Lupul scored twice to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Nazem Kadri finished with a goal and two assists, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel also scored and Mike Santorelli tallied three assists for the Maple Leafs, who have won two straight games and four of five. Jonathan Bernier stopped 35-of-38 shots in the win. When you score that many goals, its hard mentally to stay sharp, Bernier said. We got the two points and thats what matters. Jason Spezza, Ryan Garbutt and Ales Hemsky each lit the lamp and Kari Lehtonen made 35 stops for the Stars, who dropped their third consecutive game. Thats disappointing, Lehtonen said. I cant let five goals in every night. The Maple Leafs got off to a quick start as Bozak made it 1-0 game 27 seconds into the contest. Dion Phaneuf kept Trevor Daleys clear attempt in the Dallas zone and Bozak gathered the loose puck, drifted across the slot and unleashed a wrister past Lehtonen for the early lead. Kadri added to Torontos lead with a wrister from the left circle with 4:44 to play in the first period. Toronto scored within the first minute of a period once again in the second as Kessels wrist shot on the power play 56 seconds into the stanza.dddddddddddd Spezzas slap shot from the top of the right circle got Dallas on the board at 5:06, but Lupul restored the Maple Leafs three-goal lead midway through the stanza with a wrister. Bernier made an initial pad save on Alex Goligoskis blast, but Garbutt was there to sneak the rebound into the net for a 4-2 score 2:11 into the third. Lupul answered again less than three minutes later with a snap shot, but Hemskys snap shot with under five minutes remaining capped the scoring. Game Notes The Maple Leafs have earned a point in each of their last five games ... Toronto improved to 10-0-0 when scoring first ... Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov missed the game with a concussion that was sustained Saturday on a hard hit from Washingtons Alexander Ovechkin ... Garbutt returned to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for a kneeing Edmontons Taylor Hall ... The two teams will play again on Dec. 23 in Dallas. ' ' '