As if Rafael Nadal needed some breaks at the French Open, he got some Monday.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic set to battle for No. 1 at the French Open
No. 3-ranked and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka, who beat Nadal in the first Grand Slam final of the year in Melbourne, and No. 9 Kei Nishikori, who was on his way to beating Nadal in the Madrid final three weeks ago before a back injury forced him to retire, both are out of the way at Roland Garros.
According to the New York Times, Wawrinka, playing on Philippe Chatrier Court, the main stadium at Roland Garros, became the first Australian Open champion to lose in the first round of the French Open in 16 years.
He lost to Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 matching the high-low Grand Slam feat of Petr Korda in 1998. It was Wawrinka, whose five-set victory over Nadal in the Australian Open final touched off Nadal's season-long struggle with his confidence.
Rafael Nadal's confidence struggles may affect his French Open title defense
Meanwhile, Wawrinka appeared ready to contend on clay after defeating Roger Federer in the finals of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters last month. Losses in early rounds at the Madrid Open and the Italian if Open, however, sapped Wawrinka of any momentum heading into Roland Garros.
Nishikori has blossomed under the tutelage of Michael Chang, becoming the first Japanese player to break the Top 10. The No. 10 player in the world has two tournament wins under his belt but had not played since suffering his back injury against Nadal in Madrid.
In that match, Nishikori won the first set against Nadal and was up a break in the second when his back injury occurred. He eventually had to retire down 0-3 in the third set.
Wawrinka's loss is more significant because he's in Nadal's half of the draw. His exit leaves No. 7-seeded Andy Murray and No. 5 David Ferrer, who beat Nadal in the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo.
Obviously, No. 2 Novak Djokovic remains the biggest threat to Nadal, but it would be difficult to think that Nadal would lose if he were to reach the final.
After all, Nadal, who has a 59-1 record at Roland Garros, hasn't lost in his previous eight French Open finals.
Do you think losses by Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori are good news for Rafael Nadal? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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