Roger Federer is already in Montreal, and he was spotted practicing this weekend at the 2017 Rogers Cup as the qualifying tournament was played.The Swiss Maestro won't be playing until Wednesday, but he was addressing the media on Sunday in French-speaking Quebec. Federer appears in a recent Youtube video at Tennis HD having fielded at least ten minutes of questions from the French-speaking press in Quebec's largest city.
Federer doesn't come to Montreal often
Federer is returning to Montreal for the first time in six years. The Canadian Master's toggle between that city and Toronto, which helps account for his lengthy absence from Quebec.
The last time that Federer played in Montreal he defeated Vasek Pospisil in straight sets before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. Pospisil is a possible second-round opponent for Federer again this season, the Canadian will have to beat Peter Polansky to book his spot in Wednesday's match.
But regardless of whether the ATP is in Toronto or Montreal, Canada hasn't been a common stop for Federer at all this decade. Besides the 2011 event in Montreal, he has two appearances in Toronto starting in 2010. In both of the Toronto tournaments, Federer lost in the final. In 2014 he fell to Tsonga again while in 2010 Federer lost to Andy Murray. To find a title for Federer in Canada, you have to go all the way back to 2006 when he survived a late-round draw against Xavier Malisse, Fernando Gonzalez, and Richard Gasquet.
The Swiss Maestro also won the 2004 title, defeating Andy Roddick in a final that was also played in Toronto. In Montreal specifically, Federer has no titles with a semifinal appearance way back in 2003 his best showing. At that tournament, Roddick scored a rare win over Federer en route to the Montreal title that season.
Federer poised for success this season
While top-notch success has eluded Federer in Montreal over the years, the stars could be aligned for him this season. As the No. 2 seed, he is opposite of Rafael Nadal in the draw, meaning that the Spaniard can't possibly get into Federer's way until the final. With Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Marin Cilic all missing the 2017 Rogers Cup the tournament is diluted for talent, to say the least.
Furthermore, the most-dangerous players appear to be on Nadal's half of the draw in Montreal. Federer shares a path to the semifinals with Kei Nishikori, but the Japanese player isn't having a great season so far. Grigor Dimitrov and Dominic Thiem are also on Federer's half of the draw. With Dimitrov slumping and Thiem's hard-court abilities not clear, Federer's draw to the final looks workable for sure in the week ahead.
