<p>Rafael Nadal will celebrate his 35th birthday at the French Open on Thursday by facing Richard Gasquet, a player he first encountered when he was just 12.</p>.<p>However, schedulers have handed Nadal the evening session slot which will mean his birthday party will fall flat as the match clashes with a 9 pm Covid-19 curfew and a spectator ban.</p>.<p>French player Gasquet won his first junior clash against Nadal at the Petits As tournament in France in 1999.</p>.<p>Sadly for him, that was as good as it would ever get.</p>.<p>On the ATP Tour, Nadal has monopolised their head-to-head and leads 16-0.</p>.<p>That record includes two meetings at Roland Garros in 2005 and 2018.</p>.<p>"I don't have many French Opens left to play so I want to make the most of it," said Gasquet who made his debut at the tournament back in 2002.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tennis/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-ease-into-roland-garros-second-round-992749.html" target="_blank">Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic ease into Roland Garros second round</a></strong></p>.<p>His best run was in 2016 when he lost in the quarter-finals to Andy Murray.</p>.<p>World number three Nadal, bidding for a 14th French Open and record-setting 21st Grand Slam title, is a close friend of Gasquet.</p>.<p>He publically supported the Frenchman when he was handed a short ban in 2009 after testing positive for cocaine, inadvertently ingested after kissing a woman in a Miami nightclub.</p>.<p>Nadal reached this year's second round thanks to a straight sets win over Australia' Alexei Popyrin and has now won 26 sets in a row at the tournament.</p>.<p>Roger Federer, also the winner of 20 Slams, renews his rivalry with Marin Cilic for a place in the last 32.</p>.<p>The Swiss star leads their head-to-head 9-1 with Cilic's only win coming in the semi-finals of the 2014 US Open when he went on to claim his only Grand Slam title.</p>.<p>Federer, the 2009 champion in Paris, made the second round with a straight sets win against Uzbek qualifier Denis Istomin.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tennis/the-first-of-nadal-s-100-french-open-victims-has-his-say-991991.html" target="_blank">The first of Nadal’s 100 French Open victims has his say</a></strong></p>.<p>It was just his second win on the tour in 2021 and first at a major since losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2020 Australian Open semi-finals.</p>.<p>He is still feeling his way back after undergoing two knee surgeries last year.</p>.<p>Top seed and world number one Novak Djokovic is also in action on Thursday in another battle of the over 30s as he faces Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas.</p>.<p>Djokovic, the 2016 champion at the French Open, is bidding to become the first man in more than half a century to win all four Slams more than once.</p>.<p>Top seed Ashleigh Barty faces Poland's Magda Linette for a place in the last 32.</p>.<p>The 2019 champion admitted after her opening round win that she was "not 100%" after picking up a left hip injury.</p>.<p>Barty's successor as champion, Iga Swiatek, takes on Sweden's Rebecca Peterson.</p>
<p>Rafael Nadal will celebrate his 35th birthday at the French Open on Thursday by facing Richard Gasquet, a player he first encountered when he was just 12.</p>.<p>However, schedulers have handed Nadal the evening session slot which will mean his birthday party will fall flat as the match clashes with a 9 pm Covid-19 curfew and a spectator ban.</p>.<p>French player Gasquet won his first junior clash against Nadal at the Petits As tournament in France in 1999.</p>.<p>Sadly for him, that was as good as it would ever get.</p>.<p>On the ATP Tour, Nadal has monopolised their head-to-head and leads 16-0.</p>.<p>That record includes two meetings at Roland Garros in 2005 and 2018.</p>.<p>"I don't have many French Opens left to play so I want to make the most of it," said Gasquet who made his debut at the tournament back in 2002.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tennis/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-ease-into-roland-garros-second-round-992749.html" target="_blank">Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic ease into Roland Garros second round</a></strong></p>.<p>His best run was in 2016 when he lost in the quarter-finals to Andy Murray.</p>.<p>World number three Nadal, bidding for a 14th French Open and record-setting 21st Grand Slam title, is a close friend of Gasquet.</p>.<p>He publically supported the Frenchman when he was handed a short ban in 2009 after testing positive for cocaine, inadvertently ingested after kissing a woman in a Miami nightclub.</p>.<p>Nadal reached this year's second round thanks to a straight sets win over Australia' Alexei Popyrin and has now won 26 sets in a row at the tournament.</p>.<p>Roger Federer, also the winner of 20 Slams, renews his rivalry with Marin Cilic for a place in the last 32.</p>.<p>The Swiss star leads their head-to-head 9-1 with Cilic's only win coming in the semi-finals of the 2014 US Open when he went on to claim his only Grand Slam title.</p>.<p>Federer, the 2009 champion in Paris, made the second round with a straight sets win against Uzbek qualifier Denis Istomin.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/tennis/the-first-of-nadal-s-100-french-open-victims-has-his-say-991991.html" target="_blank">The first of Nadal’s 100 French Open victims has his say</a></strong></p>.<p>It was just his second win on the tour in 2021 and first at a major since losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2020 Australian Open semi-finals.</p>.<p>He is still feeling his way back after undergoing two knee surgeries last year.</p>.<p>Top seed and world number one Novak Djokovic is also in action on Thursday in another battle of the over 30s as he faces Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas.</p>.<p>Djokovic, the 2016 champion at the French Open, is bidding to become the first man in more than half a century to win all four Slams more than once.</p>.<p>Top seed Ashleigh Barty faces Poland's Magda Linette for a place in the last 32.</p>.<p>The 2019 champion admitted after her opening round win that she was "not 100%" after picking up a left hip injury.</p>.<p>Barty's successor as champion, Iga Swiatek, takes on Sweden's Rebecca Peterson.</p>