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TORONTO -- Novak Djokovic heard the names of the players he could face in his opening match at the Rogers Cup and buried his head in his arms. The worlds top mens tennis player didnt need that big of a test out of the gate. Djokovic wasnt happy about having to see either 22nd-ranked Gael Monfils or 35th-ranked Radek Stepanek right away, and he couldve done without Andy Murray being in his quarter of the draw, picked Friday afternoon at Queens Park. But beyond his tough road that awaits at the Toronto tournament, Djokovic cant help but smile given his recent fortune. Within the past month, the 27-year-old won Wimbledon and got married, and he and his new wife are expecting their first child soon. "Its been probably the best month Ive had in my life with Wimbledon title, with wedding and of course a baby coming up," Djokovic said. "Im going back to the business, back to my office, but of course filled with positive energy, with joy, all the beautiful emotions that a person can experience right now. Hopefully I can use that to perform well on the tennis court." Part of Djokovics joy is that hes playing some of the best tennis of his career. Winning at Wimbledon and in Rome and reaching the final of the French Open at Roland Garros gave him a sizable boost of confidence. At the Rogers Cup, which begins with qualifying rounds Saturday and Sunday while the main draw gets underway Monday, Djokovic returns to hard-court play for the first time since winning the Sony Open in Miami in March. Djokovic got to town Thursday with designs on getting some extra practice in. "One thing is to practise, the other thing is to play an official match," Djokovic said. "Im looking forward to the first match, even though the draw is terrible for me. Still, not my fault. Obviously thats something that I cannot influence." Djokovic was joking throughout the draw about the difficult path hell have to take in order to win his fourth Rogers Cup title. Murray, seeded eighth, would be his quarter-final opponent, and Djokovic would have to get through either third-seeded Stan Wawrinka or seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov to reach the final. Roger Federer, whom Djokovic beat in a memorable five-set match to capture this years Wimbledon trophy, headlines the bottom half of the draw as the second seed. Federer moved up after defending champion Rafael Nadal withdrew earlier this week because of a wrist injury. Even without Nadal, the Rogers Cup features what Ontarios lieutenant governor, David C. Onley, called "an A-list of international tennis stars." It doesnt get more A-list than Djokovic. "I really do wish you well in the tournament," Onley said to Djokovic. "As a Canadian, though, Im just wishing you a little bit well in the tournament." There are three Canadians in the field: sixth-seeded Milos Raonic, unseeded Vasek Pospisil and wild card Peter Polansky. Raonic, who on Friday beat Steve Johnson in Washington to reach the semifinals at the Citi Open, will face either American Jack Sock or Austrian Jurgen Melzer after his first-round bye. Raonic lost to Federer in the semifinals at Wimbledon, and his game is on the rise whether his friend Djokovic likes it or not. Djokovic joked that Raonic "can get to No. 1 as soon as Im done with my career." He may not get his wish if Raonics rise continues. "He has the clear goal of what he wants to achieve and he says he wants to be the best, so there is a potential in him," Djokovic said. "Hes already an established top-10 player and hes becoming a player that plays really well on the big stage." This is yet another big stage for Raonic, who was born in Montenegro but grew up in Thornhill, Ont., just outside of Toronto. The three Canadians got spread out throughout the 64-player bracket. Vancouvers Pospisil got a rough draw as hell face Richard Gasquet in the first round, while Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., will face a qualifier and Polansky, also of Thornhill, will open against Polands Jerzy Janowicz. Seven qualifying spots will be filled this weekend. In the meantime, Djokovic will try to get continue his sharp play with the U.S. Open not far away. Re-adjusting to being on hard courts is the first step. "Looking at the results throughout my career, hard court is probably my most successful, most preferred surface," Djokovic said. "Its why I have always excitement for playing in events on this surface." Djokovic has plenty of reasons to be excited, whether its about marrying Jelena or becoming a father. Its good to be Djokovic right now. "Its a real joyful moment, and Im blessed to be in a position to play the sport that I love, to be successful in it now back to No. 1 and of course to be married, to become a parent soon," he said. "I cant ask for more from this life, to be honest. I try to nurture what I have and always seek to improve as a tennis player, to improve as a person and to love my wife, otherwise Ill be in trouble." On the court, Djokovic knows it would be difficult to match 2011, when he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But he still has time to make 2014 almost as successful. "Knowing that I have achieved something like that gives me of course always confidence and I do have high ambitions and expectations for myself wherever I go," he said. "Each year brings a new challenge, and I have matured as a player and as a person. I have gotten stronger in certain aspects of my game and physically, as well." Tim Thomas Team USA Hockey Jersey . 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The Canadian Football Leagues all-time passing leader said he has not made a final decision, but he will discuss his future with Montreal Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall on the weekend.New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tyreke Evans poured in 27 points and the New Orleans Pelicans put together a strong fourth quarter to come away with a 104-93 victory over the still-struggling New York Knicks. Evans netted eight points and Omer Asik had seven during a final period in which the Pelicans outscored New York by a 27-20 count to pull away and sent the Knicks to a ninth consecutive loss and 10th in a row on the road. Evans was really good at attacking the basket, Pelicans head coach Monty Williams said. Asik finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Anthony Davis put up 18 points and eight boards in New Orleans second straight victory. Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 26 points for New York, but Carmelo Anthony was held to a relatively quiet 17 and managed just two points in the fourth quarter. Its kind of like Groundhog Day at this point, Stoudemire said. After the game you have the same feeling. ... Its tough. J.R. Smiths 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer had the Knicks down just 77-73 heading into the fourth, but the Pelicans started the final frame strong to stretch the margin. Jrue Holiday began the period with a 3-point play and Austin Rivers knocked down a trey shortly afterward to stake New Orleans to an 83-73 lead. It was a 12-point advantage with under 8 1/2 minutes to go when Asik converted a Rivers give to put the Pelicanss up by an 87-75 score.dddddddddddd. The Knicks never got the deficit under nine points the rest of the way, with New Orleans shooting 50 percent from the floor and going 6-of-8 from the foul line for the fourth quarter. Neither team was ahead by more than five points during a tightly contested first half. New York owned a 52-50 edge late in the second quarter, but Holiday buried a pull-up jumper and fed Asik for a dunk with 18.2 seconds remaining to send New Orleans in front by two at the break. The Pelicans were able to create some distance in the third quarter, during which Davis amassed 11 points. An Asik slam and a Holiday layup had New Orleans ahead 68-61 with less than five minutes to go in the stanza, and Davis threw down a dunk with 2:25 left in the period for a 73-65 advantage. Game Notes New Orleans halted a five-game home losing streak to the Knicks and improved to 6-2 at Smoothie King Center this season ... Smith finished with 17 points, but went just 6-of-18 from the field ... Knicks forward Jason Smith, who spent the previous four seasons with the Pelicans, had four points in 22 minutes against his former team ... New Orleans has won 14 of its last 17 home games against Eastern Conference opponents ... The Pelicans outrebounded New York by a 43-30 margin and owned a 54-40 edge in the paint. ' ' '