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“Rafa will be an opponent, a rival,” Moya said. “On the court, you don’t have any friends.”
He’s the oldest player left; the 35-year-old Bjorkman was the oldest at the start of the tournament.
Bjorkman took a 5-2 lead Monday, but was broken when serving for the first set. Then he blew a 5-3 edge in the tiebreaker when Moya took the last four points, ending the set with a net-cord winner.
Bjorkman was broken to end the second set, then got his right shoulder massaged by a trainer.
“You know, I’m 35,” Bjorkman said. “My shoulder just got more tired than it normally does.”
At 20, Djokovic is the youngest man remaining. And while he made the 2006 quarterfinals at the French, too, he’s more confident this time.
“Last year, I honestly didn’t expect to be in the quarterfinals,” he said. “I was pretty much satisfied with my achievement. This year is much different.”
Like Moya, he was helped by a fortuitous net cord. At 3-1 in the tiebreaker, Djokovic ended a 17-stroke exchange with a backhand that caught the tape, popped into the air and dropped over for a winner.
While Djokovic crossed himself, Verdasco grabbed the ball and walked over to hide it in his racket bag — where it stayed until the match ended.
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