PARIS - Rafa Nadal was not fooling anyone when, after thrashing elegant Austrian Dominic Thiem in the French Open semi-finals on Friday, he said nine French Open titles was enough.
The record books might not interest the 31-year-old Mallorcan, but he will have to be dragged away screaming and kicking before giving up the chance to move into double figures and land La Decima against Stan Wawrinka on Sunday.
Nadal, often written off as a spent force since winning the last of his 14 grand slam titles here three years ago, is secretly salivating at the prospect of ruling Roland Garros again after watching Wawrinka and then Novak Djokovic usurp him.
Victory on Sunday would see Nadal become the first player to win the same grand slam 10 times in the modern era.
After dropping only 29 games en route to a 10th final, only a brave man would bet against him.
"I think I don't need to make more history, no? It's enough. Nine are more than good," Nadal, whose resurgence this year began when he reached the Australian Open final against Roger Federer, losing an epic, told reporters.
"Nine or 10, it's only 10 percent more! It's true 10 is a beautiful number, but actually my favourite is nine. But for sure if it becomes 10, it will be my favourite.
"In general, to be in the final again here is probably the most important event in my career."
Nadal's 6-3 6-4 6-0 defeat of Thiem means he will be playing his 22nd grand slam final on Sunday, putting himself second on the all-time list behind Federer who is out on his own with 28.
Yet he describes himself as "not very special" -- another statement that was never going to wash, coming from the greatest claycourt tennis player of all time.
"Nine is probably difficult," he said. "It is obvious that you need to combine a lot of things, and a lot of things have to come together to have that record. You need to be lucky, you need to play well, you need to be healthy for two weeks."
"I am not the right one to say, but to play 10 finals here is something difficult."
Sunday's final will be Nadal's first grand slam clash with the Wawrinka since the Swiss beat him to win his first major at the 2014 Australian Open -- a match in which Nadal struggled with physical problems.
Asked if it was a chance to right a wrong, Nadal said: "Revenge is not part of my vocab. The best player will win again. He's in the final. It's the toughest opponent possible." (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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Andy Murray is finally able to recapture his best form after a succession of illnesses and injury curtailed his time on the practice court, coach Ivan Lendl has said ahead of the world number one's French Open semi-final against Stan Wawrinka.
Murray struggled this year after being diagnosed with shingles in February and sustaining an elbow injury in March but eight-time grand slam champion Lendl says the Briton is now injury free and able to train fully again.
"It comes down to executing your game plan and the conditions," Lendl told reporters on Thursday.
"Andy has been putting in great work. If you have three illnesses and an injury which take you out for some time, it's very difficult mentally for the player...
"But now he is healthy and he can put the practices in."
Murray, who has a 21-7 record this year, said his indifferent form earlier in the season had made him question things but he had been able to just focus on playing in recent matches, which had made a huge difference.
"I'm thinking less on the court. I think when things aren't going well, it's very easy to overthink things. You can be worrying about technique, which is never good when you're playing matches," Murray said.
"I was still feeling a little bit like that at the beginning of the tournament, the first match (against Andrey Kuznetsov). But I got through that and it made a huge, huge difference to me."
Murray, who was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros last year, faces 2015 champion Wawrinka later on Friday. (Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford; )
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PARIS - World number one Andy Murray shrugged off a sluggish start to reach his fifth French Open semi-final with a 2-6 6-1 7-6(0) 6-1 defeat of Japan's Kei Nishikori on Wednesday.
Briton Murray dropped serve twice in the opening set as the gremlins that have dogged his season briefly returned, but he was generally in charge after that against the eighth seed.
Nishikori, who beat Murray in the quarter-finals of last year's U.S. Open, could not sustain his early form and although he courageously forced a third-set tiebreak he lost that 7-0.
Murray, runner-up last year to Novak Djokovic, recovered an early break of serve in the fourth set and reeled off the last six games to set up a repeat of last year's semi-final when he produced a dazzling display to beat Stan Wawrinka.
The 30-year-old Murray arrived at Roland Garros with genuine concerns over his form after a mediocre claycourt swing, but with coach Ivan Lendl watching over his shoulder he has rediscovered the winning mentality just in time.
He might need another level, however, against Swiss former champion Wawrinka, who annihilated Marin Cilic 6-3 6-3 6-1.
"I came in playing garbage," Murray said. "You know, I'm the odd one out in the semis, but hopefully I can keep it up.
"I didn't feel like I played great tennis today. But it's a huge step in the right direction for me. Anyone can win matches when they are playing well. It's winning when you're not playing your best that is more impressive."
In windy conditions Murray double-faulted to lose serve in the third game and Nishikori pinged a forehand winner past him to move 5-2 ahead before serving out the set.
Serving at 1-1, deuce in the second set Murray was bizarrely given a time violation warning by umpire Carlos Ramos after he had let an errant ball toss land -- prompting an exchange of views between the pair.
Coincidence or not, after that incident Murray was far more aggressive and began to take over.
"I was frustrated about it, but I don't know how much impact that had on the match," Murray said. "It's not like I played a great point the next point.
"But I broke the following game. Kei played a poor game to break. I didn't do anything special, but that was a critical period of the match, because he started way better than me.
"From then on I started to do a bit better."
Murray quickly levelled the match but after twice breaking in the third set, at 2-2 and 5-5, he handed the advantage straight back and needed a tiebreak to forge ahead.
The body language of Nishikori, who has never reached the last four of the French, hardly looked promising after that and Murray marched on to his 21st grand slam semi-final.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Toby Davis)
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PARIS, France -- Andy Murray racked up his 650th career win to reach the French Open quarter-finals Monday where he was joined by 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.
World number one Murray, the runner-up in Paris to Novak Djokovic in 2016, brushed aside Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
However, instead of discussing the match in the traditional on-court TV interview, Murray took the microphone to remember the 29 people who died in the recent outrages in London and Manchester.
"Obviously there was terrible tragedy in London and Manchester. Paris has had its problems too in recent years," said Murray.
"I am sure everyone will join me... we share our thoughts and prayers with everyone who has been affected.
"I appreciate everyone still coming out to support the tennis. I am grateful that I can still perform in front of everyone."
Murray broke the serve of the 21-year-old Russian, playing in a Slam fourth round for the first time, on five occasions.
Before Monday, Khachanov had held serve for 48 successive service games.
In his seventh Paris quarter-final, Murray will face Japanese eighth seed Kei Nishikori who defeated 33-year-old Fernando Verdasco of Spain 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0.
Nishikori, a beaten quarter-finalist in Paris in 2015, has now made the last eight of a Slam for a seventh time, a record for a Japanese man.
Nishikori stunned Murray in five sets at the US Open last year although he insisted he had little memory of it.
Memory man
"I don't even know if I win or lost. I won?" he asked reporters of a win which was just his second in 10 meetings with the Briton,
Wawrinka, the third seed, booked a place in the quarter-finals for the fourth time with a comfortable 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 win over Gael Monfils, the last French player in the men's draw.
Marin Cilic completed the quarter-final line-up when South Africa's Kevin Anderson retired with a thigh injury trailing 6-3, 3-0.
He will take a 2-11 losing record against Wawrinka into his match with the Swiss star.
It is Cilic's first Roland Garros last-eight spot while he is the first Croatian to get this far since Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic in 2006.
Seven of the top seeds have made the quarter-finals with Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta playing the role of gate-crasher having knocked out fifth seed Milos Raonic on Sunday.
Czech world number two Karolina Pliskova needed three sets to get past Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg.
The world number 97 had only won one match at the majors before this year's Roland Garros but she was the better player in the first set with Pliskova hitting just four winners.
But the second seed steadied the ship to go through 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Pliskova next faces 28th seed Caroline Garcia who won her all-French grudge match with Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-4.
The two compatriots have been involved in a recent feud over the Fed Cup and are barely on speaking terms.
However, they exchanged smiles and a warm embrace at the net at the end of the tie.
Title favourite and 2014 runner-up Simona Halep trounced Spain's Carla Suarez-Navarro 6-1, 6-1 to make the last eight without dropping a set or breaking sweat.
Third seed Halep, who like Pliskova can become the new world number one if she wins the title, claimed her first victory on clay in six attempts against the Spaniard.
"I played my best match of the tournament. I served well and opened up the court," said Halep.
The 25-year-old Halep will tackle Ukraine's fifth seed Elina Svitolina for a semi-final place.
The two met in the Rome final on the eve of Roland Garros when Halep was beaten and suffered an ankle injury which threatened her appearance in Paris.
Svitolina reached the quarter-finals for the second time, ending the dream run of world number 290 Petra Martic with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win.
However, Martic, bidding to become only the 10th qualifier to make the last eight in Paris threw away a golden chance for victory.
The 26-year-old led 5-2 in the final set before Svitolina rallied to race away with the last five games.
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PARIS, France -- Alexander Zverev, the man seen as a potential French Open champion, crashed out in the first round Tuesday as world number one Andy Murray and former winner Stan Wawrinka moved through.
Zverev, just 20 and fresh from his sensational Rome Masters demolition of Novak Djokovic, slumped to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Spain's Fernando Verdasco, 13 years his senior.
"I played absolute shit, that's why I lost," said Zverev bluntly.
"But life goes on, it's not a tragedy. In Rome I played fantastic, I won the tournament. Here I played bad, I lost first round. That's the way it goes."
In a match controversially suspended on Monday at one set each, Zverev was defeated in a fog of mistakes and despondency.
The beanpole German committed 50 unforced errors and drew jeers from the Philippe Chatrier court crowd when he took out his frustration by hammering his racquet into the clay.
Left-handed Verdasco, playing his 14th Roland Garros and 56th consecutive major, had lost to Zverev in the first round on clay in Madrid earlier this year.
But he is an experienced Grand Slam competitor, making the last 16 in Paris on five occasions.
"I practised really hard before this match against a great player like Alexander," said Verdasco who next plays France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
"Maybe it was my experience. You have to be ready emotionally and physically because it can be a long match."
Murray, the 2016 runner-up to Djokovic, shrugged off a second set wobble to defeat Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
"He goes for his shots, he plays very aggressively and quite close to the baseline. He hits the ball pretty flat," said Murray, who showed few effects of the fever he carried into the event.
- Handshake snub -
Top seed Murray will play Martin Klizan of Slovakia who was accused a faking an injury in his five-set win over French wildcard Laurent Lokoli.
Lokoli was so angry at Klizan's actions on court that he refused to shake hands.
Third seed and 2015 champion Wawrinka was an easy winner, defeating Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.
Wawrinka saved two set points in the second set tiebreaker before going on to down the 152nd-ranked qualifier.
Juan Martin del Potro marked his return to the French Open after an absence of five years by defeating Argentine compatriot Guido Pella 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.
"I love to be playing this tournament again after five years," said 2009 US Open champion Del Potro, who reached the quarter-finals in his last appearance in Paris before blowing a two-set lead against Roger Federer.
Japanese eighth seed Kei Nishikori was also a first round winner, beating unranked Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
In the women's event, Romanian third seed and 2014 runner-up Simona Halep cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Slovakia's Jana Cepelova.
Halep, who had described her chances of playing in Paris as "50-50" due to an ankle ligament injury, will face Germany's Tatjana Maria for a place in the last 32.
Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei, the world number 109, stunned seventh seed Johanna Konta 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
Konta is the second top 10 woman to lose in the first three days after world number one Angelique Kerber was dumped out in the first round.
"I tried very hard and gave myself a big chance. Every time I tried to run as fast as I can and get the ball back," said Hsieh, who won for the just the second time in seven trips to Roland Garros.
Konta has yet to win one match in the main draw in three attempts.
There were no such problems for fifth-seeded Rome champion Elina Svitolina as the 2015 quarter-finalist defeated Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-3.
Canada's Eugenie Bouchard, a semi-finalist in 2014, shook off a right ankle injury to recover from 0-5 down in the first set to beat Rise Ozaki of Japan 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
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PARIS, France -- Rafael Nadal launched his pursuit of a record 10th French Open title in convincing fashion, while defending champion Novak Djokovic eased to victory under the gaze of new coach Andre Agassi.
Reigning women's champion Garbine Muguruza began her Roland Garros defence with a straight-sets triumph over 2010 winner Francesca Schiavone.
Nadal, who was forced to withdraw before last year's third round with a wrist injury, brushed aside 45th-ranked Benoit Paire 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 inside two hours.
"I'm very happy to be back here after what happened last year. It's great to feel the support," said the 14-time major champion.
Nadal broke Frenchman Paire eight times and recovered from a slight second-set wobble when he dropped serve twice in a row to surge into a round two meeting with Dutchman Robin Haase.
"It's always at the start, happy for the victory. Was not an easy opponent in the first round, obviously. He's an uncomfortable opponent that already he had some good victories this year," added Nadal.
Title-holder Djokovic strolled through his opener against Marcel Granollers of Spain, advancing 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
With 1999 French Open champion Agassi in the players box for the first time after agreeing a short-term coaching role, Djokovic experienced some trouble against the world number 77, being broken four times.
"It's great to have Andre Agassi as coach and as a mentor. I will try to learn as much as I can from him," said Djokovic.
The Serb, seeking to become the first man in the Open era to win all four majors on at least two occasions, will take on Portugal's Joao Sousa next.
"Coming to this tournament for first time as a defending champion gave me, probably more than anything else, relief, because the anticipation and the pressure and expectations that I had also for myself but all the other people around me in the last three, four, five years before 2016 Roland Garros trophy was really big," added Djokovic.
'Earn confidence'
Muguruza's middling form this season saw her arrive in Paris with just three wins on clay, but the Spaniard dispatched former Paris champion Schiavone 6-2, 6-4.
The fourth seed will meet Estonia's Anett Kontaveit for a place in round three as Schiavone, who turns 37 in June, bid farewell to the tournament for possibly the final time.
"I cannot believe in the first round we have two ex-champions. Not only that but Francesca is a legend and I was very excited to play on Philippe Chatrier court with her," said Muguruza.
"I know I played good here before. That doesn't make me extra confident this year. I think I just have to earn that confidence here, and, like today, going out there, trying to deal with things. That's what brings me confidence. Not remembering how I played last year."
Muguruza defeated Serena Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam a year ago, but the 23-year-old needs to return to the final to stay in the world's top 10.
Second seed Karolina Pliskova won for just the third time in six visits to Roland Garros with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over China's Zheng Saisai.
Former French Open runners-up Sam Stosur and Sara Errani, the latter coming through qualifying, also moved into round two.
Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic raced through with a routine 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Steve Darcis of Belgium.
Raonic fired 15 aces and 44 winners to book a meeting with Brazil's Rogerio Dutra Silva, who saved two match points before overcoming Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in five sets.
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic and Belgian 10th seed David Goffin also progressed, but American 14th seed Jack Sock was blown away in three sets by towering Czech left-hander Jiri Vesely.
David Ferrer, the 2013 runner-up, outlasted American Donald Young in a four-and-a-half-hour marathon, prevailing 13-11 in the final set.
Rising German star Alexander Zverev, seeded ninth, will return to finish his first-round tie against veteran Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Tuesday after play was suspended due to darkness at one set all.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
