Nadal begins Rogers Cup against Dodig

For the first time since the 2010 French Open, Rafael Nadal heads into the tournament as a No. 2 seed. His quest to overcome a red-hot and top-ranked Novak Djokovic begins on Wednesday at the Rogers Cup against Ivan Dodig. This will be the second career meeting and second encounter this year between Nadal and Dodig. They faced each other a few months ago on the clay courts of Barcelona, where Nadal dominated 6-3, 6-2.

Dodig, of course, will have much better shot on hard courts--a surface on which he has excelled during his breakout 2011 campaign. The 41st-ranked Croat, who is 20-15 for the season, captured his first career ATP title in Zagreb. Showing his prowess on faster surfaces, Dodig also reached the 's-Hertogenbosch final on grass before falling to Dmitry Tursunov.

Nadal is playing for the first time since losing to Djokovic in the Wimbledon title match. Despite that setback, the second-ranked Spaniard is still a stellar 51-8 for the year, with victories in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and at the French Open. Nadal is 20-6 lifetime at the Rogers Cup and lifted the winner's trophy in both 2005 and 2008.

It remains to be seen how Nadal's confidence is holding up after dropping to No. 2 in the rankings amidst four consecutive losses to Djokovic. He should be able to cruise through this no matter what, but Dodig will gain belief if the underdog gets off to a fast start. Look for Nadal to advance in two entertaining sets.