Nadal, Djokovic face last-eight duel

Paris — Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic were placed on a mouth-watering French Open quarter-final collision course yesterday’s draw.Nadal is seeded a lowly sixth this year after slipping to seven in the rankings and as a result was always likely to face one of his major rivals in the last eight.

“It’s very strange,” admitted Nadal, promoted to the sixth seeding after the injury-enforced pull-out of Canada’s Milos Raonic. “It’s never happened before.

“But I have to play four matches to get to the quarter-finals. I have to be ready for the first round.”

Nadal defeated Djokovic in the 2012 and 2014 finals, but the top-seeded Serb, who turned 28 on Friday, is the overwhelming favourite for a maiden Roland Garros title this year. Djokovic goes into the French Open, which starts Sunday, riding a 22-match unbeaten streak and has already captured a fifth Australian Open and Masters crowns in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome this year.

Djokovic, bidding to become only the eighth man to complete the career Grand Slam, starts his campaign in Paris against experienced 33-year-old Finn Jarkko Nieminen while Nadal begins against 18-year-old French wildcard Quentin Halys, the world number 304.

The other potential quarter-finals could see second seed Roger Federer, the 2009 champion, face Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka.

Third seeded Andy Murray was drawn for a potential last-eight clash against David Ferrer while Tomas Berdych could tackle Japan’s Kei Nishikori.

Federer, the 2009 champion, starts against a qualifier but has Latvian 24th seed Ernests Gulbis, who knocked him out in the fourth round last year, also in his section.

In the women’s singles, top seed Serena Williams was handed a tough draw which could see the American taking on old rival Victoria Azarenka and sister Venus before the quarter-finals. Williams, the 2002 and 2013 champion and just three majors shy of matching Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles, starts against a qualifier but could meet sister Venus in the last 16. — AFP