A solid if unspectacular player whose consistency has kept him in the world's top 10 for some time now. However, the Russian is rarely regarded as a serious contender for the major events and the same can be said of him here. Has only ever won one match on grass and certainly prefers the claycourts which have brought semi- and quarter-final appearances at Roland Garros over the past two years. One seed who should be heading home early.
