With the 2009 US Open Series continuing in its fourth week, the competition is finally beginning to beef up in Montreal for the Rogers Cup. Nineteen of the top twenty men on the ATP tour will be competing. With an ailing hip and recovery from recent surgery, David Nalbandian is the odd man out of the tournament. That means defending champion Rafael Nadal, who is recovering from knee tendinitis, and two-time champion Roger Federer, who recently became a father of twins, are among the big names set to take the court this week.

Federer and Nadal, as the respective number 1 and 2 players in the world, can meet in the final but there are no shortage of obstacles for the both of them. Nadal must go through Novak Djokovic (No. 4) or Andy Roddick (No. 5) who could meet in the quarterfinals while Federer may have to go through Andy Murray (No. 3) in the semifinals. With such wonderful distractions, dare I say RFed (the GOAT) may come in to Montreal a little rusty? With Rafael Nadal making a return from a physical ailment, you have to favor anyone who faces him in the later rounds. But, who knows what the Bull can pull out of the bag. One thing is for sure, all eyes will be watching as Nadal and his level of mobility as he sees his first bit of action today in Doubles against Djokovic.

With he two biggest names in Men's tennis it is far too easy to overlook the rest of the competition which includes Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro who faced each other on Sunday, August, 9 for the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC. Del Potro defeated Roddick 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) to take the crown. Roddick, who made his return from a strained hip flexor, appeared to be close to regaining full form.

The Rogers Cup is the first tournament of the US Open Series that appears to be a preview of the actual US Open which begins August, 31. But with a couple of question marks up in the air, this tournament is anyone's game.