| Monday, 30 June 2008 Written by Barry Newcombe Rafael Nadal survived a worrying injury scare on No.1 Court to beat Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 and stay on course for a third final. Nadal suffered his injury early in the match, pulling up sharply in just the second game after racing in from outside the tramlines. The crowd went silent, fearing the worst as Nadal called for the trainer to work on his right knee. A doctor also attended and after another game the trainer returned to check that all was well. The treatment seemed to do the trick as from then on the 22-year-old Spaniard seemed to suffer no adverse reaction. If there was a problem, it had been corrected before there had been long-lasting damage. Afterwards, he was keen to play down any concerns: “I felt a little bit of pain. I was a little bit scared because I felt something crack behind [the knee]. But I think it's fine.”
Whether it will affect him in the next round, when he meets either Andy Murray is another matter. “Right now I am feeling better,” he said. “Tomorrow we will see how I wake up. But hopefully [I am] going to be fine.”
After the treatment, the pace quickened and Nadal was able to deal easily with Youzhny's challenge. This was the 11th time they had met but their first match on grass since Wimbledon last year when Nadal came from two sets down to win. Nadal and Youzhny had both played their previous matches in fading light on Saturday night, Nadal beating Nicolas Kiefer not long before Youzhny beat Radek Stepanek. Both must have been pleased to be playing this match early and in bright sunshine, Nadal doubtless even more happy after spending last night watching Spain beat Germany in the European 2008 final. One of his close friends brought a Spanish flag to No.1 Court. Nadal put heavy pressure on Youzhny to break him for 3-1 in the first set and recover from losing his serve to lead 4-2. He held set points in the eighth game before establishing a one set lead after 49 minutes. The foundations laid, Nadal increased the tempo to break Youzhny's serve at the start and end of the second set and secure two breaks in the third set to complete his win in two hours and 10 minutes. That Nadal should be moving so confidently on the grass reflects the fact that he won the pre-Wimbledon title at Queen's Club for his first victory on grass. The last time anyone won there and at Wimbledon was in 2002, when Lleyton Hewitt took both titles. Nadal is ready to add to that piece of history.
| Court 1 - Gentlemen's Singles - 4th Round | |
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