PASS UP ON SW19? IT WAS NEVER ON CARDS FOR RAFA

AHEAD of the French Open final, there were some pundits in Spain who believed Rafael Nadal would again give Wimbledon a swerve even if he won in Paris.

- ANDY DUNN

There were some who thought his longrunning battle with a chronic foot injury would persuade him to rest up for a while, even if he was halfway to a Calendar Slam, having triumphed in Australia in January.

Well, he was victorious in Paris and here he is, in an eighth Wimbledon quarter-final and with history again in his sights. Nadal was never going to pass up this chance, injury or not. “After all the things that have happened to me in the last couple of months and having not been here for three years, it feels amazing to be in a quarter-final,” said Nadal after his 6-4 6-2 7-6 win over Botic van de Zandschulp. “I played a very positive match against a difficult opponent.