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In English, he said he would "work hard" to be ready for the year's lone grass-court major but in Spanish later he conceded he could miss three months. If it's the latter, Nadal would be in danger of bypassing August's Olympics, an event he covets.

The 23-year-old was literally last, just before the tournament began. Ranked No108 at the entry deadline six weeks before this year’s French Open, she was the final name accepted on the list of direct entries until there was a withdrawal, and Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak, also at No108 with an injury-protected ranking, squeezed in.

Wozniak was beaten in the first round; Rogers is in the final eight after backing up an incongruous 6-0, 6-7, 6-0 victory over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova with a far more textbook 6-3, 6-4 victory over No25 seed Irina-Camelia Begu. The Romanian arguably in better form on the red clay than the mercurial Kvitova.

After the victory came the tears, as they did after the win over Kvitova. But until that moment, as emotional as Rogers admits she is, she was the epitome of poise. But she struggled to compose herself during the post-match interview with former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, who gave her a hug and kindly fetched a tissue for her.

“100% tears all the time. Sad. Happy. Hungry. Reading a book. Watching a movie. They flow very easily,” Rogers said later.

Of all the American women who have come along in the wake of the Williams sisters’ dominance, talented players all, the unlikely Rogers is the first American with a different last name to make the final eight at the French Open in 11 years. The last was former No1 Lindsay Davenport, and that was no surprise.

As does Serena Williams, Kiki Bertens and Garbine Muguruza. You never know which Stosur is going to turn up at any given tournament. She could be the world beater who beat the daylights out of Williams in 2011 US Open or the first round loser that shows up the Australian Open on occasion. Muguruza is the real deal though, so Stosur better be feeling it tomorrow.