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Nadal manhandles Wawrinka at French Open

Defending French Open champion Rafael Nadal eliminated Switzerland’s last hope in the Roland Garros tennis tournament on Wednesday, dispatching Stanislas Wawrinka in three sets.

Published: 5 June 2013 19:07 CEST

Nadal manhandles Wawrinka at French Open

Stanislas Wawrinka congratulates Nadal after three-set match. Photo: Patrick Kovarik/AFP

The Spaniard took command from the outset to win the quarterfinals against Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.

Nadal, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Monday earlier beat the Swiss in the final of the Madrid Masters last month.

Wawrinka’s loss comes a day after fellow Swiss Roger Federer was knocked out of Roland Garros by Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

"I think today I played my best match of this year at the tournament," said Nadal who now boasts a 10-0 record against Wawrinka.

"I was very happy with the conditions on a court that is so emotional for me," he said.

"Stan (Wawrinka) was a little bit tired after his incredible match against Richard (Gasquet), which I thought was the best match of the tournament so far."

Nadal's win over Wawrinka took his Roland Garros career record to 57-1.

In the other quarter-final match on Wednesday, world number one Novak Djokovic beat German Tommy Haas in three sets, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.

The results set up a blockbuster semi-final between the Serbian and Nadal, who is seeking to win his eighth French Open title.

Friday's clash will be the 35th meeting between the two with Nadal holding a 12-3 lead on clay.

But Djokovic beat the Spaniard in the Monte Carlo Masters final in April in their most recent meeting.

"I will have to raise my game," said Djokovic, who lost the 2012 Paris final to Nadal.

"Nadal is in great form but the win in Monte Carlo has given me great confidence. I will be positive."

Wednesday's quarter-final proved a match too far for the 35-year-old Haas who was bidding to become the oldest semi-finalist at a major since Andre Agassi at the 2005 US Open.

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Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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