Men's Olympic Tennis: Previewing Roddick-Djokovic Clash and All Round 2 Matches

After a rain out forced the Sunday's play to be cancelled, the Olympic Tennis competition was back in action on Monday as several more players, Roger Federer and John Isner included, booked their trips to the third round of the tournament, getting closer to those medal finals.

With around half of the spots already booked, there are still round two matches left to be played, including what is setting up to be a blockbuster clash between former world No. 1's Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic.

Roddick breezed through his first round match and is playing very good tennis as of late. He is coming off of a pretty good tournament win against John Isner in Atlanta and could be a dark horse to land on the podium in London. It helps that Wimbledon is his favorite surface.  Serving as the site of three of his five finals appearances.

Djokovic is solid as usual, although he did survive a scare losing a set in his first round match. Likely however, none of his uncharacteristic mistakes will carry over as he looks to better the bronze he won in Beijing. He is the second best player in the world and there is no reason to believe he won't play like it.

Even if Roddick is not able to beat Djokovic, he has been playing well enough that he should at least put up a fight. The match could go a full three sets in the Olympic best-of-three format and that could end up making all of the difference.

Although this is the clear blockbuster match of the day and of the tournament so far, there are other players looking to book a trip to the third round as well.

Here is a preview of the Roddick-Djokovic match-up and all eight of the other second round matches taking place tomorrow.

David Ferrer (ESP) vs. Blaz Kavcic (SLO)

David Ferrer: The 30-year-old Ferrer has never let age slow him down. He is currently the fifth highest ranked player in the world and has consistently been in the top ten despite never making a final at a major. He has won over 463 matches in his career and holds 16 titles. With Rafael Nadal out, he is Spain's best hope to repeat as gold medal winners in the men's singles event.

Blaz Kavcic: The 25-year-old Kavcic is a relative unknown in the tennis world. He has never won an ATP or tour title, but does have eight Challenger and two Futures crowns. He began qualifying for the major tournaments with some consistency starting in 2010, but has failed to make it out of the second round even once. He is currently ranked No. 77 in the world.

Their Match-up

Ferrer has a very consistent baseline game and is one of the fittest men on tour. He has one of the best serve returns on tour and he is incredibly agile, aiding his ability to hang with the best in the game. Against the inexperienced Kavcic, Ferrer should have no problem making it to the third round as he is both quicker and has more finesse than the younger Slovakian.

Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) vs. Kei Nishikori (JPN)

Nikolay Davydenko: Davydenko has not been playing his best tennis over the past six years. He has been to the semifinals of the grand slams four times, but all of that came before 2007. He did manage to make a quarterfinal at the Australian Open but that was also two years ago in 2010. The former No. 3, Davydenko has now dropped to the 44th best player in the world. He will be making his second Olympic appearance, looking to better his second round exit in Beijing.

Kei Nishikori: The 22-year-old Nishikori saw his career stock rise just as Davydenko's began to fall. After turning pro in 2007,  it would only be a few years until he started to rise through the ranks. He has one career title and one quarterfinal appearance from the 2012 Australian Open. He also has cracked into the top twenty in the world and currently sits at No. 19.

Their Match-up

Nishikori is known for his speed and reliable serve. Although he lacks power, he really doesn't have a major area of weakness in his game and also adds incredible endurance. He is a mediocre player in most areas being that he doesn't really have a big weapon, but against Davydenko, his solid groundstrokes and baseline play should be enough to carry him to the third round.

Gilles Simon (FRA) vs. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)

Gilles Simon: The 27-year-old Simon has had pretty good grand slam results in recent years. Currently the 12th ranked player in the world, Simon has won ten career titles. His best result at a grand slam was a quarterfinal appearance in the 2009 Australian Open and at his Olympic debut in Beijing, where he reached the third round, something he will look to equal in London.

Grigor Dimitrov: The 21-year-old Dimitrov has a bright future ahead of him and a solid game to back that up. Although he has yet to get out of the second round of a major tournament, he was once the No. 1 junior and twice a junior champion, both at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He is currently ranked just outside of the top 50 in the world.

Their Match-up

Dimitrov is one of the best up-and-coming players to watch on tour. His style of play, often compared to Roger Federer's, is best suited for grass. His biggest weaknesses, however, are two things that have kept him from cracking the top 50: his lackluster movement on the court and inability to consistently return serve.

Simon on the other hand is one of the better players in the game. He is a tactician that specializes at net play. He is a quick player who likes to use the entire court and mix up his shots. It is for this reason that Simon will have the edge over Dimitrov in their second round match.

Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)

Richard Gasquet: A former world No. 7, Gasquet has been working his way back to a top ranking. He currently sits at the 20th best player in the world and is coming off of two fourth round appearances in 2012 at the French and Australian Open. He is just one member of Team France that boasts quite a few potential medal contenders in these Olympic Games.

Marcos Baghdatis: Baghdatis' career is in a similar situation as that of Davydenko's—it has been going downhill in the past few years. A former world No. 8, Baghdatis now sits as just the 40th best player in the world, not able to get out of the first round of a grand slam in a few years now. He is a former junior champion and has won four career singles titles and one doubles title. His best grand slam showing was as the runner up of the 2006 Australian Open.

Their Match-up

Honestly, this match could go either way. Both of these players have been successful in the past and both have pretty solid games. If I had to give an edge however, it would have to go to Gasquet. He is coming off of more recent success and is more of an all-court player than Baghdatis. He also has one of the best backhands on the ATP tour.

Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) vs. Andy Murray (GBR)

Jarkko Nieminen: The 31-year-old Finnish tennis player is at a very transitional point in his career. The former top 15 player is now ranked just 38th and knows he could be moving towards the twilight of his career. He has two career titles and during his best days fared admirably in grand slam tournaments making it to three quarterfinals, the last of which came in 2008.

Andy Murray: Murray is the undisputed best player on the ATP tour to have never won a major. He has a winning percentage of 75 percent and has won 22 titles on tour. He was also ranked as the second best player in the world in 2009. Now, at the fourth best player in the world, Murray is representing his home country on what is still tennis' biggest stage. he has been to three finals including most recently the 2012 Wimbledon.

Their Match-up

Murray, England's golden boy, came oh-so-close to winning his first major earlier in the year at Wimbledon. He is by far a better player than Nieminen, including his ability to play a transition style game, his quick ability to react, and his lack of unforced errors that gives him every opportunity to win most points. There is no reason that he should lose this match and really no reason why he shouldn't advance far in the Olympic Games. The only thing in his way of a gold medal is himself.  Well, that, and Roger Federer.

Jo Wilifred Tsonga (FRA) vs. Milos Raonic (CAN)

Jo-Wilifred Tsonga: The 27-year-old Frenchman is currently one of the best players in the world. He has collected eight career titles and another four in doubles. Tsonga went to the finals of the 2008 Australian Open where as an unseeded competitor managed to beat four seeded players including a straight sets victory over then No. 2 Rafael Nadal. In taking a set off of Djokovic in the final, he also became the only player to do so in this tournament. Among his career success, he has also made it to the Wimbledon semifinals in 2011 and 2012.

Milos Raonic: The 21-year-old Raonic is going to win a major one day, it's just a matter of when. The young Canadian has been rising through the ranks in the recent years and currently sits within the top 25 in the world. He has won three career titles, but has yet to make it out of the fourth round at a major. He has incredible talent, though, and has the game that is capable of beating some of the higher ranked players on the tour.

Their Match-up

While Raonic has a solid game, including one of the best serves in the world, there are still a number of areas where he can improve. Tsonga on the other hand has really been polishing his game in the past few years and it has shown. He has very good movement on the court and is one of the best serve-and-volley players left in the game. He has a solid serve, but his biggest weakness is a lack of consistently.

Again, this match could go either way as both men have the talent to get it done. What it will really come down to is how Tsonga plays. If he is consistent and utilizes his game to his advantage, then he will be moving on to the next round. If not, Raonic could be one step closer to bringing Canada an Olympic tennis medal.

Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs. Juan Monaco (ARG)

Feliciano Lopez: Lopez began the 2012 season on a strong note.  For the first time in a 15 year career as a pro, he ranked among the top 15 players of the world. After a less than stellar season, he is now ranked 29th. Despite not performing well in Wimbledon, he is coming off of a fourth round appearance at the 2012 Australian Open. His best career results have been as a three time quarter finalist at Wimbledon, the same courts where the Olympics are taking place.

Juan Monaco:  The 28-year-old Monaco, who turned pro in 2002, has been enjoying the best year of his career. On the year, he is currently the 10th ranked player in the world, topping him off at the highest rank he has ever had. Throughout his career, Monaco has won six tour titles. He has been very consistent, making the third and fourth rounds of most major tournaments. As a doubles player he had his best slam result as he reached the semifinals of the 2008 U.S. Open.

Their Match-up

Feliciano Lopez is a very good, consistent baseline player with a strong serve and very well executed slice backhand, which could cause Monaco some trouble. Monaco however is also a pretty good baseline player and has become a very good technical type player as well. He is capable of creating points, and against Lopez, he should be able to win the match.

Marin Cilic (CRO) vs. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)

Marin Cilic: Cilic is one of the second tier players on the world tour and despite a career high No. 9 ranking, has not really been able to consistently stay with the top players in the world. With eight titles to his name and a career best grand slam result in making the semifinals in 2010, Cilic is currently the 15th best player in the world.

Lleyton Hewitt: The 31-year-old Hewitt and former world No. 1, has been in the twilight of his career for a few years now as both injuries and age have made the game harder for him. He has fallen out of qualifications for the slams and needed a wild card entry just to get into the Olympics as his rank currently sits at 158. Hewitt has won 29 titles including one Wimbledon and one U.S. Open. He has also won over 540 matches in his illustrious career.

Their Match-ups

Hewitt has been fighting just to stay competitive for the better part of the last few years. Given a wild card, he managed to win his first round match, but is faced with a much tougher task in Cilic. Cilic is a very crafty player and is pretty efficient when it comes to playing the baseline.

Hewitt has also been a pretty good baseline player and has one of the better overhead smashes in the game. In what is likely to be one of his final tournaments, Hewitt could pull out the upset win. It will likely be a close match, but I have to give the edge to Cilic, if just a slight one at that. 

Andy Roddick (USA) vs. Novak Djokovic (SRB)

Andy Roddick: The soon-to-be 30-year-old Roddick has had his struggles in the past few years. The former world No. 1 and winner of the 2003 U.S. Open, Roddick has struggled with injuries, inconsistencies, and just the general improvement of the field around him. He has won over 600 matches and 32 career titles, but he hasn't made a grand slam final since losing to Roger Federer in one of the most heartbreaking matches of his career at the 2009 Wimbledon. While Roddick's serve has become less intimidating to opponents, so has his game overall, costing him points in the rankings. He now sits at the 22nd best in the world and is an unseeded player in the Olympic draw.

Novak Djokovic: No doubt one of the best players in the world, Djokovic's career really began to take off following his bronze medal win at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Since then, he has dominated the international circuit and all of his opponents, including two of the best in the world, Federer and Nadal. Currently the second best player in the world, just recently dethroned of his No. 1 title by Federer, Djokovic has won five majors, all but one of them coming in either 2011 or 2012. The only major he hasn't won is the French Open.

Their Match-up

In what is no doubt going to be the best match of the tournament so far, Roddick and Djokovic will vie for a spot in the third round. The obvious edge should go to Djokovic who has dominated Roddick over the past few years. Andy, however, has been playing some of the best tennis that anyone's seen from him since his 2009 Wimbledon loss. He recently won both Eastbourne and Atlanta titles before the Olympics and just missed making the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

In a best of three format, Roddick has a better chance because there will be no worry of fatigue. However, in that format, he also has to worry about not starting strong. While I ultimately feel Djokovic is too good for Roddick to beat, I do think the American will at least put up a fight, perhaps even take it to three sets.