"I really do wish you well in the tournament," Onley said to Djokovic. "As a Canadian, though, I'm 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 I'm done with my career." He may not get his wish if Raonic's 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. "He's already an established top-10 player and he's 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. Vancouver's Pospisil got a rough draw as he'll 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 Poland's 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. "It's why I have always excitement for playing in events on this surface."

Djokovic has plenty of reasons to be excited, whether it's about marrying Jelena or becoming a father. It's good to be Djokovic right now.

"It's a real joyful moment, and I'm 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 can't 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 I'll 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."

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By Stephen Whyno, The Canadian Press