Ryder has no beef with big pay drop
pushed to four sets for the second match in succession.
Goffin is the first lucky loser from qualifying to make the last 16 of a major since compatriot Dick Norman at Wimbledon in 1995 and the first at Roland Garros since 1978.
The 21-year-old achieved the feat by beating Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 6-1, having originally lost in the final qualifying round last week.
He was then handed a lifeline when French star Gael Monfils pulled out on the eve of the event. ‘‘I’ve seen him around,’’ said Federer, who caught a glimpse of the young Belgian in his second round win over Arnaud Clement.
‘‘He has a nice game, he’s a smooth ball-striker and talented, obviously, otherwise he wouldn’t be coming this far in the tournament.’’
Top seed Novak Djokovic, bidding to become just the third man in history and first since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time, breezed past French qualifier Nicolas Devilder 6-1 6-2 6-2 and will play Italy’s Andreas Seppi in the round of 16 tonight. Seppi has reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam at the 29th time of asking.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the fifth seed, will be doing his part to keep French hopes alive tonight when he plays Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka, who edged French 11th seed Gilles Simon 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-2 yesterday morning.
‘‘I have had some difficult moments here, now I am happy to be having some good ones,’’ said Tsonga, who has now matched his best performances in 2010 and 2011. JESSE Ryder is not daunted by the fact his income is about to be slashed by more than $150,000 a year and has told close friends money is not – and never will be – a primary motivation for him.
On Wednesday evening, NZC announced, after a potentially career-defining meeting with the burly all-rounder, that Ryder had decided ‘‘to avoid an NZC contract for the upcoming season’’ as he looks to focus on his health and fitness.
He hasn’t played for the Black Caps since February, after he was stood down for an alcohol-related incident, and his name will be notably absent when the new central contracts, which run from August this year through to July, 2013, are unveiled in the coming weeks.
It’s believed Ryder’s current NZC contract, which is thought to rank him as one of the top five players in the country, and ends in July, sees him paid a retainer of just over $160,000 per annum before match fees.
But the New Zealand star’s only serious revenue stream from cricket now appears to be his US$150,000 contract with the Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League.
‘‘Money is not a motivating factor for Jesse. But he’s managed his finances well over the past few years, so he was able to make this decision without putting himself at financial risk,’’ his manager Aaron Klee, who also attended Wednesday’s meeting, said.
‘‘There had been some concerns that this decision would financially put pressure on him. But he doesn’t need a lot to get by.
‘‘He’s often said to me that he’s been without money before and doesn’t have high expectations of being rich anyway. Look, he’s still got his IPL contract and he’s not going to starve.’’
Ryder intends to take a break from cricket and has already knocked back an approach from an English county offeringbig bucks to play in England’s T20 league.
There has also been some speculation he will become a freelance cricketer, trotting around the globe and offering his services to the highest bidder. ‘‘There’s nothing on the agenda at the moment,’’ Klee said.