Novak Djokovic has learned who his second round opponent will be at the 2012 Toronto Masters. The World No. 2 will face Australian Bernard Tomic, a player who defeated Michael Berrer in a three set match on Monday.
Tomic and Djokovic have met two times in the past with the Serb winning both encounters. One of those matches took place in the quarters of Wimbledon 2011, an event where both players were playing at a high level.
Tomic, who is still just 19 years old, is currently the 49th ranked player in the world. That age-ranking correlation strongly implies that he will eventually be a Top five player and his bandwagon has no shortage of hitchhikers.
However, Tomic's form has been so horrific lately that his status as 13th favorite to win the 2012 US Open seems to give him way too much credit (bet365). Prior to defeating Berrer, Tomic had not won a match since Roland Garros and that has not been due to a lack of trying.
Between the French Open and Toronto, the Aussie contested no less than six tournaments and he suffered six losses in those events in either the first or second round (he had a first round bye in some events). A player like Berrer, who is 32 years old, was just what Tomic needed to try and get back into a rhythm. The German is ranked just 131st in the world at the moment and he’s never been inside the Top 40 on tour, now in the twilight of his career.
Despite receiving a lucky first round match-up, Tomic didn’t exactly send Berrer off in 60 minutes or less in Toronto’s first round. Tomic struggled a bit with Berrer, a player who extended the World No. 49 to a third set. While Berrer was not able to defeat Tomic, Djokovic, the betting favorite to win the US Open (bet365), probably won’t be so lenient with the teenager and his growing pains.
That said it should be pointed out that Djokovic himself has not been at his best in recent times. The five-time Grand Slam champion lost the No. 1 ranking last month and he also failed to medal at the Olympics. Tomic’s chances may be slightly redeemed by the fact that Djokovic has played a fair amount of tennis in the last week and a bit.
However, the Serb’s conditioning is top-notch and even if he is not quite at 100% he probably won't be dispatched in Toronto by a sinking 19-year old who can’t dismiss Michael Berrer in straight sets.
Tomic and Djokovic are the final match of the day to be completed on Stadium Court at the Toronto Masters, not to start before 7pm ET.
Prediction: Djokovic in two.