Rafael Nadal survived a scare to book his place in the fourth round at Wimbledon with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3 win against Germany's Philipp Petzschner on Saturday
LONDON: Rafael Nadal survived a scare to book his place in the fourth round at Wimbledon with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3 win against Germany's Philipp Petzschner on Saturday.
Nadal had been pushed to five sets by unheralded Dutchman Robin Haase in the previous round and once again he struggled to stay on top of an opponent he was expected to dismiss with ease.
The French Open champion had to come from two sets to one down to beat Haase and he was pushed into the same position again before securing a clash with France's Paul-Henri Mathieu in the next round.
After an early exit from Queen's and a pair of unconvincing displays here, Nadal needs to step up a gear in the second week to get back to top level to beat the likes of Roger Federer at the business end of the tournament.
Nadal had declined an invitation to meet Queen Elizabeth II when she visited the All-England Club on Thursday as he was determined not to change his usual pre-match routine. The snub to the monarch to underlined his ferocious desire to regain the Wimbledon title.
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