posted August 10, 2007 at 20:24 in Tennis Free Picks

Montreal, Canada – In the bottom half of the draw, Novak Djokovic ousted Andy Roddick in the quarterfinal with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory. Hardly a shocking result in terms of tennis betting as even oddsmakers had Roddick, a former Roger Cup champion (2003) and the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge point’s leader tipped at +120, and the rising Serbian sensation Djokovic at -170. Roddick’s loss marks his first ever career loss to Djokovic.

Next up for Djokovic is the winner of the Rafael Nadal vs. Frank Dancevic quarterfinal match, scheduled to play out at 7:30 Eastern time in Montreal on Friday, August 10, 2007.

Since three of the four winners in the Rogers Cup quarterfinal round have gone according to my picks (Radek Stepanek, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic all advanced), I am confident my fourth quarterfinal pick will pull through as well and so from this point on I will take a writers liberty in writing this piece. The panache!

The last of my quarterfinal picks was for the Rafael Nadal/Frank Dancevic match – and of course, my pick was for Rafael Nadal.

Therefore based on the assumption that my fourth pick is a winning one as well, the following is a break down of the potential matchup of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the semifinal of the Rogers Cup.

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal

Tennis Prediction: – Two of the best players on the men’s tour will face off in the semifinal round. Nadal holds a 59/8 record for season and six titles. Djokovic is not far behind with a 50/12 record for the season and three titles.

Both Nadal and Djokovic are exceptional baseline grinders, with excellent depth and great all-court sense. Nadal holds the advantage with spectacular topspin shots, placement and ball control, and a formidable running forehand and backhand. If there is a weakness Nadal has, it is his modest first serve and a slightly weaker second serve.

Djokovic’s arsenal provides no spectacular shots. Djokovic’s strength lies in his great groundstrokes, control and ball placement. If there is an advantage that Djokovic has, it is a better serve in comparison to Nadal.

At the ATP Masters Series in Indian Wells, Nadal defeated Djokovic in the final to claim his only hard court title in 2007. Nadal holds a 5-1 advantage over Djokovic in head-to-heads, comprised of victories on grass, hard, and clay.

At the ATP Masters Series in Miami, Nadal lost to Djokovic in the quarterfinal round (Djokovic went on to claim the Miami title with a victory over Guillermo Canas in the final). Djokovic’s win over Nadal marks his only victory against the No.2 ranked player in the world; however, without taking away from his victory, Nadal was playing with an injured foot in Miami, an injury that lead to his subsequent withdrawal from Spain’s Davis Cup team. Had Nadal been in form, well then it stands to reason that the result could have been entirely different.

Should Nadal and Djokovic meet in the semifinal the balance tips in favor of Nadal. Nadal is the complete package player. Moreover, with Federer’s place in the final an almost certainty, Nadal would be only a victory away from setting up another clash with his nemesis – a scintillating prospect for tennis enthusiasts, tennis bettors and the players themselves.

Of course, if for some miraculous reason, upstart Frank Dancevic does the unthinkable and upsets Rafael Nadal (an entirely absurd notion, but as the results are not in at the time of writing this article it atrociously demands some contemplation) well then it would be Djokovic all the way to the final.

Tennis Free Picks: In the end, I stand by my original pick. Nadal all the way! Nadal to defeat Frank Dancevic in the quarterfinal today; to defeat Novak Djokovic in the Semifinal tomorrow; and to defeat Roger Federer in the final on Sunday, August 12, 2007!

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Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room