Rafael Nadal finally finds a reason to smile at the French Open

PARIS - All the complaints about lousy weather, windy courts and rotten schedules were forgotten as the sun finally shone on birthday boy Rafa Nadal’s pursuit of a record eighth French Open title on Monday.
Nadal spent the first week labelling Paris “too cold”, the Chatrier Court “too windy” and the playing schedule “a joke” after three wobbly performances but he was all smiles on day nine of the claycourt major as the mercury finally crept over 20 degrees Celsius for the first time in this year’s event.
The Spaniard, bidding to become the first player to win the same major eight times, took a step closer to a possible semi-final blockbuster against Novak Djokovic with a 6-4 6-1 6-3 last-16 win over Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
After the fans serenaded Nadal by singing ’Happy Birthday’, the 27-year-old smiled sheepishly as organisers wheeled out a giant, four-tier cake decorated with rackets, golden tennis balls and an array of sparklers.
Nadal’s grin would have grown wider after watching his next opponent, Stanislas Wawrinka, dragged into a four-hour struggle before the Swiss squeezed past French favourite Richard Gasquet 6-7(5) 4-6 6-4 7-5 8-6.