- Spaniard shows his full array of shots in 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (6) win
- Nadal faces Indian Wells conquerer Taylor Fritz in last eight
As Rafael Nadal returned to practice following the radiofrequency ablation treatment on his difficult foot in the days after his French Open victory, he was charged with reacquainting himself with the grass, a surface he has not stepped foot on in three years, with no warmup tournament possible. He made it clear the early rounds of Wimbledon would be “vital”.
It is fair to say that things have gone well for him. Four rounds into his Wimbledon campaign, Nadal is not only still present as his attempt at the calendar-year grand slam continues, but he is growing with every match and rounding into form. He reached the quarter‑finals with his 18th grand slam match win in a row after a high‑class performance, outplaying Botic van de Zandschulp, the 21st seed, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (6).