Reigning French Open champion Stan Wawrinka believes Rafael Nadal's recent victory at Monte Carlo has changed the landscape in men's tennis for the remainder of the clay-court.
Wawrinka, who lost to Nadal in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) in their Monte Carlo quarterfinal showdown, has no doubt in his mind that the Spaniard's latest championship in Monte Carlo (a record-setting 9th title) has changed the order of power in men's tennis, adding more intrigue in the upcoming competitions in Madrid and Rome.
"The Rafa's victory instead changes the situation, he returned to have faith in himself. He won a big tournament, played better tennis than he had the last few months." [Ubi Tennis]
Wawrinka sensed that everyone will be bringing their A-game in Madrid and Rome Masters, which are pivotal tournaments for those contending to win the French Open title at the end of the European clay-court season late May.
The 29-year old Nadal has been red-hot of late, winning his seven straight matches - including victories against Wawrinka (no.4 in the world) and Murray (no.2). In Barcelona, Nadal continues to dominate his foes as he dispatched both Marcel Granollers and Albert Montanes in straight sets. He's now playing his quarterfinal match with Fabio Fognini at press time.
As for Novak Djokovic, Wawrinka is confident the Serb will bounce back right away after his shocking second round loss to Jiri Vesely in his backcourt tourney, insisting the loss hardly dented his desire to win the French Open title for the first time.
"The defeat of Djokovic does not change anything, I think indeed it was good for him. It allowed him to have the needed time for himself. From the technical point of view, he knows exactly what he wants to achieve this year."
Djokovic, who resides in Monte Carlo, is scheduled to compete at Madrid Masters next, where the likes of Wawrinka, Nadal , Murray and Roger Federer are also set to play.