Nadal feels sympathy for Federer after defeat

For the first time in his career, Nadal will not need to beat his arch-rival to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires after the world No1's shock quarter-final exit at the hands of Robin Soderling.

Second seed Nadal accepts the absence of Federer makes his task easier but he also empathises with the Swiss, who he feels may be the only other player to feel the pain of defeat as keenly as he himself does.

"The truth is I always love to see the best players win, because I know that the losses for the best players are harder than for the rest," said Nadal, who suffered his first ever defeat at Roland Garros last year.

The Spaniard, who will usurp Federer as world No1 if he wins Sunday's final, added: "Sure, it is better if Roger lost.

"But, I always say the same: I believe if you are number one or you are not number one, you can't be thinking all the time about being number one."

Nadal's title odds shortened further on Wednesday when third seed Novak Djokovic threw away a two-set lead to lose a marathon match against Jurgen Melzer, who will now face the Spaniard in today's semi-finals.

Nadal has won both his previous meetings with Melzer in straight sets but knows the 29-year-old is in the form of his life, having also disposed of David Ferrer. "He's playing unbelievably," said Nadal.

"A big comeback against Djokovic, playing a high level. I saw him at the end of the match playing very aggressively, serving well. If he's in the semi-finals, it is because he's the best of his draw."

Austrian Melzer had never before been beyond the fourth round of a grand slam in 31 attempts. But

one man he could turn to for advice on how to topple the king of clay is Soderling, who will line up against Tomas Berdych today hoping to secure his place in a second successive final.

Soderling has won his last two matches against Nadal, the first famously at Roland Garros last year. However, he did suffer a comprehensive defeat in his last meeting with Berdych, losing 6-2 6-2 at this year's Miami Masters.

Pointing out he won their previous match just as emphatically, the fifth seed said: "I know every match is a new match, and he's played great this year. He's a dangerous player when he's playing good."

Berdych, who has never before gone this far in a major, also played down the significance of his April victory over Soderling. "The score looks quite easy," he said. "That's just how it looks on paper."