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Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal and world No 1 Novak Djokovic were placed on a mouth-watering French Open quarter-finals collision course in yesterday's draw.

Nadal is seeded a lowly sixth this year after slipping to seven in the rankings and as a result was always likely to face one of his major rivals in the last eight.

"It's very strange," admitted Nadal, promoted to the sixth seeding after the injury-enforced pull-out of Canada's Milos Raonic. "It's never happened before.

"But I have to play four matches to get to the quarter-finals. I have to be ready for the first round."

Nadal defeated Djokovic in the 2012 and 2014 finals, but the top-seeded Serb, who turned 28 yesterday, is the overwhelming favourite for a maiden Roland Garros title this year.

Djokovic goes into the French Open, which starts tomorrow, riding a 22-match unbeaten streak and has already captured a fifth Australian Open and Masters crowns in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carl