London: World number one Rafael Nadal had to fight his way through yet another five-set marathon on Saturday, finally wearing down German Philipp Petzschner 6-4 4-6 6-7 6-2 6-3 to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Nadal, taken the distance by Dutchman Robin Haase in the previous round, had never before had to win two five-set matches to reach the last 16 in a grand slam before.
The Spaniard, who could not defend his Wimbledon title last year because of a knee injury, was not moving freely. He kept having to call for the trainer and looked in discomfort toward the end of the epic encounter.
He moved one step closer to another dream final against Roger Federer -- but it was a draining match to take him into the second week."I will be fine," Nadal said. It is not a big problem for me. It has been a long season," he said.
But he was full of admiration for his dogged opponent.
"The match was very difficult for me. The serve of Philipp was unbelievable," he said.
Nadal swiftly broke the German`s serve in the first set and maintained his advantage to take it comfortably 6-4.
Nadal`s serve suddenly crumbled in the 10th game of the second set with a missed smash paving the way for the number 33 seed to level the match.
The third set was on a knife edge until Petzschner saved a break point in the 11th game.
Then in a thrilling tiebreak, Nadal saved two set points before the German took it with a service winner.
Despite twice calling the trainer, Nadal was still able to race to 4-1 lead in the fourth set. He then broke the German a second time when Petzschner lost the set tamely on a double fault.With the match finely poised and both players struggling with niggling injuries, a clearly exhausted and dejected Petzschner called the trainer.
At the start of the deciding set he missed a sitter of a volley with the court wide open. It sunk his morale and his shoulders visibly sagged.
Nadal was enraged at 2-2 when the umpire warned him about coaching from the stands by his uncle Toni, waving an admonishing figure in fury at Cedric Mourier.
The Spaniard was rewarded for his grinding effort, breaking to take a 5-3 lead in the decider before serving out.
Next up for Nadal is the unseeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.