IT was Novak Djokovic's birthday yesterday.
The Serbian World No 1 celebrated the arrival of his 28th year with a cake, specially designed by the master patissiers on site at Roland Garros. The symbolism was appropriate, as most in world tennis feel he is about to crash Rafael Nadal's Parisien party.
Winning at this venue has been a piece of cake for the Mallorca, who has gorged himself on nine titles in the last decade, winning 66 matches and losing just one, to Robert Soderling in the fourth round back in 2009. But this year is different, surely? This year he comes in without victory in one of the big clay court events, seemingly slowed down by general wear and tear, praying that the return to his favourite venue brings out a spark in him.
Djokovic, on the hand, appears more relentless, hungry and unstoppable than ever. The Spaniard's travails only increase the Serb's lust for the only Grand Slam title which eludes him, and who knows perhaps a second staging post on the kind of perfect year which would live long in the memory. Their only meeting on clay this year, over in Monte Carlo, saw Djokovic crush Nadal by a 6-3, 6-3 scoreline.
However it is to pan out, we will find out soon enough. The Roland Garros draw yesterday pitted these two giants of the game together in the quarter final, an incredibly early encounter for a heavyweight contest which has been staged 43 previous times on the tour, Nadal pipping the head to head by 23 to 20. Assuming both make it, that is. Andy Murray will be hope to be waiting for the winner in the next round, after as brutal a contest as possible.
Nadal, as honest and engaging as ever, put a positive gloss on his recent travails, but said there was no point in trying to cover up his anxieties. "I say what I feel," said Nadal. "I don't know if it is good or bad but at the end of the day you can lie here but you cannot lie on the court.
"You know - I am not new here," he added. "I have spent a lot of years on the tour, 13 already. I don't need to lie to create a better expectation or let you or the people know I am one way or I am the other way. When I say I don't know what's going to happen, I really don't know what's going to happen. That doesn't mean that I don't have confidence in myself to try to be ready for it. I'm going to try my best, and I think can happen. And if not, we are going to continue the season.
"Always when you are back in a place where you had certain unbelievable success, it always is special. But past is past. We are in 2015 here."
If the Spaniard was betraying insecurities, Djokovic simply exuded extreme confidence. It was bolstered by that win in Monte Carlo when he said Nadal "did struggle" and was not "playing up to his standard compared to the last eight or nine years".
He would rather, however, focus on himself, the fact he is back on his 2011 pace, with 35 wins and just two defeats on the tour during 2015. "There is always a little bit of extra motivation for me coming into Roland Garros," he admitted. "It is obviously very encouraging knowing that I have won all of the big events from last October, and playing some of my best tennis in the life, and coming into Roland Garros with that amount of confidence helps. I have had this particular situation before, and especially in the last two years where I was coming into Roland Garros and people speculating, is this the year or not? Can I win the title or not? A few times I was very close. I didn't manage to do it, but that doesn't discourage me to not keep on going. I'm here once again with a purpose, with a reason, and I will try to get myself in a position to win a trophy." Djokovic wants to have his cake and eat it.
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