Autograph injury, big forehand help Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez reach French Open quarterfinals

Gonzalez into French Open quarterfinals

PARIS — French Open quarterfinalist Fernando Gonzalez might owe some of his success to a rather unusual recent injury: He sprained his ankle during an autograph session.

“Let’s call it ‘curious,’” the Chilean said of how he got hurt at a tournament in Rome this month.

He was signing things for fans after a match when someone called out his name from the other side of the court. When Gonzalez turned to run in that direction, he twisted his leg.

“It was really painful,” he said.

It also forced the 2007 Australian Open finalist to take some time off. Gonzalez withdrew from two events on clay he otherwise would have played this month and felt fresh as could be when he arrived at Roland Garros.

The 12th-seeded Gonzalez’s game has been pretty close to perfect through four straight-set matches, including a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 30 Victor Hanescu of Romania on Sunday that put him in the French Open quarterfinals for the third time.

“I enjoy the way I’m playing,” Gonzalez said.

What’s not to like?

Against Hanescu, he didn’t face a break point and compiled an impressive ratio of 50 winners to 16 unforced errors. Twenty-one winners came off Gonzalez’s famous forehand, a shot he hits so hard it sometimes seems like it might be the last swing of his career.

“Unbelievable,” is how Hanescu described that forehand. “Very fast. Very high. You don’t have time to — I mean, I don’t have time; maybe (Rafael) Nadal has time — I didn’t have time to react and to play the point. If he’s hitting very hard, it’s tough to stay in the game.”

In the quarterfinals, the 28-year-old Gonzalez will play No. 3 Andy Murray of Britain, a 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-1 winner over No. 13 Marin Cilic of Croatia.

Neither Gonzalez nor Murray ever has been to the French Open semifinals. Gonzalez lost in the 2003 quarterfinals to eventual champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, and in the 2008 quarterfinals to eventual runner-up Roger Federer.

But this is a different version of Gonzalez. He doesn’t go for broke on every shot the way he used to.

“I’m trying to not be risky if I don’t need it,” he said. “I’m more conservative and more prudent.”

Hanescu noticed. He said Gonzalez has changed quite a bit since the last time they played, in 2004.

“He improved a lot since that time,” Hanescu said. “He was missing a lot and doing easy mistakes. Now he’s spinning a lot and waiting a little bit, and he is hitting hard when he has the time — the right time to do it.”

Gonzalez credits new coach Martin Rodriguez for helping tweak his backhand and for a generally more calm approach to tennis and life. Instead of highs and lows, Gonzalez said, he’s more about consistency these days.

Clearly, that’s working when he’s wielding a racket.

Now if he could just be more careful with a pen in his hand.