• Wimbledon, Day Six

What They Said

ESPN staff
June 25, 2011
Rafael Nadal had to be patient against Gilles Muller © PA Photos
Enlarge

ESPN.co.uk will be providing live scores and analysis from Wimbledon throughout the tournament.

Wimbledon Day Six Gallery
Plays of the Day: Day Six
Men's round-up: Federer fends off Nalbandian
Women's round-up: Wozniacki & Sharapova march on

After battling past Marcos Baghdatis in four sets, Novak Djokovic said: "To pull off a win out of this match is great. I have to be happy with the way I played. He plays great on grass, his game is suited to quick surfaces and he has played very well here over the years. The atmosphere was amazing, it was hard to concentrate, but it was a pleasure to be part of such an amazing match. I wasn't playing on the top of my level today but you have to take positives. I'm into the fourth round, I beat a very good player and now I'll get ready for next week."

Top seed Rafael Nadal booked his place in the fourth round - and after two tough sets he blazed through the third against Gilles Muller. "It was a very difficult match to play, especially the first two sets," Nadal said. "I had no chances to break him. I didn't have rhythm and in the tiebreaks it's like a lottery, but I'm very happy with how I served, put all my first serves in, returned well and I'm happy. In the third set I certainly played very well. I had a bit of a problem with my leg but I played today without problems. I have a day and a half to recover for Monday."

Nadal's fourth-round opponent Juan Martin del Potro is looking forward to a well-deserved day off on Sunday. The former US Open champion has played six days straight after rain disrupted all of his opening three matches. "Finally I will have a day off and I will need it, because I will play against Rafa and you need to be 100 per cent," del Potro said. "I think I had bad luck this week. It's not usual to play all days from Monday to Saturday. Sometimes it can happen but hopefully for the next week, the weather will help me a little more.

Maria Sharapova was ruthlessly efficient in her straight sets victory over Klara Zakopalova, and the 2004 champion benefited from the support of fiancé Sasha Vujacic. The NBA star has accompanied Sharapova to London, and the former world No. 1 can sympathise with his having to watch from the sidelines. "I've learned it's a lot tougher to be on the sidelines," Sharapova admitted. "I think it's a lot easier to play - I am a lot more nervous [watching Vujacic] than I have been in my life."

Roger Federer was delighted to avoid an upset against old foe David Nalbandian: "A guy who has beaten me eight times knows how to beat me again so I am very pleased to go through," he said. "I am playing better than last year - more confident on serve and more relaxed with my returns. But things are going to get tougher."

Defending champion Serena Williams is playing her way into form at Wimbledon, claiming her first straight-sets win of the week with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Maria Kirilenko: "Everything's getting better with every match," Williams said. "I want to serve better, move better and keep my focus."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices