Rome – Jerzy Janowicz ripped off his shirt after stunning Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin del Potro visited the Pope and Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka pulled out through injury at the Italian Open on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova sailed through their second round matches with embarrassingly one-sided wins.
Nadal began his quest for his seventh ATP title of the season by demolishing local hope Fabio Fognini 6-1 6-3, winning 74 percent of his service points and breaking his 25th-ranked opponent five times.
In the women's singles, second seed Sharapova never faced a break point in her 6-2 6-2 win over Garbine Muguruza of Spain while China's Li Na went through with a 6-3 6-1 win over compatriot Zheng Jie.
All eyes were on Murray who said he was doubtful for the French Open after suffering a lower back problem that forced the world number two to retire after levelling his second round match against Marcel Granollers.
“We'll have to wait for Paris,” Briton Murray told the ATP website. “I'd be very surprised if I were playing in Paris.”
“I'll need to take some days off and see how it settles down, but a few days can make a difference.” The French Open starts on May 26.
Swiss Wawrinka, beaten by Nadal in the Madrid Open final on Sunday, pulled out of his match against Alexandr Dolgopolov before the start with a minor thigh injury.
World number 24 Janowicz could not contain his excitement after his win over eighth-ranked Tsonga, ripping off his shirt to celebrate as he clinched the match.
“I was really happy especially because I didn't get off to a good start to the season and I was sick,” said the 22-year-old Pole. “So this was really important for me.”
Del Potro, who won his second round tie on Tuesday, met Pope Francis, a fellow Argentine, after attending mass at the Vatican.
“It was an incredible experience with Pope Francis, something that I'll never forget,” said del Potro.
“It was a dream come true for a guy like me. It was an unforgettable moment. I was very nervous before meeting him, to be able to congratulate him and talk with him. He was nice. Everybody knows he is very humble. Today was a day that I'll remember for ever.” – Reuters