With Roger Federer suffering a shock exit at the hands of an inspired Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be keen to ensure there are no upsets of a similar magnitude when the two take to the courts in their respective French Open quarterfinal matches.
Djokovic was tested for the first time at Roland Garros this year in the fourth round, with Philipp Kohlschreiber taking a set off the Serbian, before the world number once found his rhythm in the next three sets to advance to the last eight.
The match was especially difficult for Djokovic, after he had to cope with the death of his first tennis coach Jelena Gencic, who died of a heart attack.
"I know that her spirit will be always with me and always on the tennis court, because this is what she always loved to do," he said of Gencic. "It's her favorite place in the world, and I'll make sure that her legacy continues.
"I feel even more responsible now to go all the way in this tournament. I want to do it for her, also, because she was a very special person in my life."
While Djokovic is slated to take court in the second match at Suzanne Lenglen against Tommy Haas, after the women's quarterfinal between Maria Kirilenko and Victoria Azarenka, Nadal will be hoping for an easy passage against Stanislas Wawrinka at Philippe Chatrier.
The seven-time French Open champion finally found some form on his 27th birthday against Kei Nishikori in his fourth round match and with Wawrinka having to endure a five-set thriller against Richard Gasquet, the Spaniard will be the much fresher of the two players.
Wawrinka, however, does have a secret weapon on his side in coach Magnus Norman, the man who helped Robin Soderling topple Nadal in 2009 in the fourth round, the only time the Spaniard has faced defeat at Roland Garros.
"What inspires me is to look at Rafael's statistics at Roland Garros," Wawrinka said. "It's difficult to play against him. What are my sources of inspiration? Well, my level of game, my confidence, I want to be out there in the courts to win.
"I know it's difficult to play against Rafael on clay, and a five-set match possibly. I'll have to try to seize my chances and see what works out well for me."
Before Nadal, Maria Sharapova will look to keep the defense of her French Open title on course when she takes on Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals.
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