Nadal spent the first week labelling Paris "too cold", the Philippe Chatrier Court "too windy" and the playing schedule "a joke" after three wobbly performances but he was all smiles as the mercury finally crept over the 20 degrees Celsius mark for the first time in this year's event.
The Spaniard, bidding to become the first player to win the same major eight times, took a step closer to a possible semi-final blockbuster against Novak Djokovic with a 6-4 6-1 6-3 last-16 win over Japan's Kei Nishikori.
After the fans serenaded Nadal by singing 'Happy Birthday', the 27-year-old smiled sheepishly as organisers wheeled out a giant four-tier cake decorated with rackets, golden tennis balls and an array of sparklers.
Djokovic was in sparkling form during the final three sets of his clash with Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Kohlschreiber earned the distinction of becoming the first player to win a set off Djokovic at the tournament but that was as good as it got for the German.
Djokovic, who left Roland Garros in tears two days ago after learning about the death of his first coach Jelena Gencic, kept his emotions in check for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 win.
Describing Gencic as his "second mother", Djokovic said her passing had strengthened his resolve to win the only grand slam title missing from his collection.
"I feel in her honour that I need to go all the way. It gives me that inner strength to push even harder," the top seed said.
There were no trophies on offer for reaching the second Monday of the French Open but if there were, Victoria Azarenka would have been declared the 'best wailer', Tommy Haas the 'best golden oldie' and Mikhail Youzhny the 'best racket basher'.
Australian Open champion Azarenka's clash with 2010 Roland Garros winner Francesca Schiavone had been billed as the pick of the fourth-round showdowns but it failed to draw in the crowds.
The discerning Parisian fans chose to turn a deaf year to the ear-splitting sounds emitted out of Philippe Chatrier Court first thing in the morning as third seed Azarenka completed a 6-3 6-0 win to set up a last-eight date with Russian Maria Kirilenko.
The Belarussian's sound effects have been compared to those made by jet liners or even women giving birth and with Schiavone also chipping in with her kung-fu style yelps, it was definitely not a contest for the purists.
BLOW KISSES
It was only when a victorious Azarenka twirled around to blow kisses to the four corners of the court that fans started flooding in - in anticipation of Djokovic's meeting with Kohlschreiber.
A short hop away on Suzanne Lenglen Court, another German, Tommy Haas, proved that there was plenty of life left in his 35-year-old limbs as he raced past a tormented Youzhny 6-1 6-1 6-3 to become the oldest Roland Garros quarter-finalist since Istvan Gulyas in 1971.
Haas tops a list of 30-somethings to reach the last eight after he joined a trio of 31-year-olds - Roger Federer and Spanish warriors Tommy Robredo and David Ferrer - with his 84-minute demolition of Youzhny.
While it is the first time in 44 years that four men on the wrong side of 30 have made it so far at Roland Garros, the quartet have still some way to go if they are to match the feat of Australia's Ken Rosewall, who won the last of his eight grand slam singles title aged 37.
"We all just are smarter, about how you train, about how you eat, about how you do your recovery," said 12th seed Haas, who was ranked second in the world in 2002 before injuries ravaged his body.
"The physical and fitness areas have improved a lot in sports in general. I think that's why you see maybe more people also in the early, mid 30s doing well."
GAPING HOLE
The German appeared to resemble a player half his age as he blew Youzhny away on a blustery court.
A year after scratching the word "SORRY!" into the Roland Garros clay during a third-round bashing by Ferrer, the Russian suffered yet another meltdown and took out his frustrations by subjecting his racket to an almighty battering.
"Thwack" echoed around the arena nine times during a changeover as Youzhny reduced his racket to a mangled mess by hammering it against his pristine white bench.
"It's bad luck for that racket," summed up an unrepentant Youzhny, who has form.
In 2008 he was left with a bloodied face after he repeatedly whacked his racket against his forehead and over the years has made his racket sponsors work overtime to keep up with his never-ending demands for replacements.
"He's done some crazy stuff in the past when he hit the racket on his head. I was not hoping for that again, but... that was fun to see. I love that stuff," said Haas, who broke his opponent's serve seven times.
Haas set up a quarter-final against Djokovic, who is no stranger to racket bashing himself after smashing a gaping hole into the courtside bench during his final defeat by Nadal 12 months ago.
