• Wimbledon, Day Seven

What They Said

Andy Murray bowed to the Royal Box after beating Richard Gasquet in front of Prince William and his new wife Kate © Getty Images

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Andy Murray produced a brilliant display in stifling conditions to knock out Richard Gasquet and book a place in the quarter-finals. The Scot, who was cheered on by a packed Centre Court crowd which included the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, was delighted with his performance but refused to get too carried away.

"I thought it was good," he told BBC Sport. "I think I served well, got a lot of free points off that. Conditions were very warm today so if you can get in front of your opponent you're in good shape. I made quite a lot of good passing shots in the end and I did well to come through. I need to improve - the best players ever are still in the tournament, so I need to get even better."

On despatching Gasquet in front of Royal guests Prince William and his new wife Kate, Murray said: "It's great to get the chance to play in front of them but when you're playing you just have to focus on the match. If I'd known they were coming I would have shaved. I said 'sorry I'm a bit sweaty'. It was really nice to get to meet them. They said well done on the match, it wasn't a long conversation."

Rafael Nadal revealed he came dangerously close to retiring after suffering a foot injury in his fourth-round win over Juan Martin del Potro. The world No. 1 looked to be in real trouble after receiving treatment after appearing to damage a bone in his ankle: "At one moment at the end of the first set I thought I might have to retire," Nadal said. "I changed the position of the foot so I was able to continue bit with the pain. I don't what the problem is yet. It seems like the bone in the foot. I will get it checked out tomorrow."

Serena Williams rubbished claims she came back too soon in a bid to defend her Wimbledon title. The American, who has been out of action for the best part of a year, saw her bid for a fifth title at the All England Club derailed by Marion Bartoli, but she refused to admit she rushed her comeback: "I definitely think I was ready," she said. "I would have been sad to watch at home on TV, like I will be soon."

Marion Bartoli is now one of the leading contenders for the title, but the No. 9 seed, who reached the final in 2007, is refusing to get carried away: "You cannot say because I beat Serena I'm going to win the whole thing. It's just not working like that," said Bartoli. "I think today the way I played and the way I handled the pressure, especially the pressure, was good."

Roger Federer was bumped onto Court One for his fourth-round clash against Mikhail Youzhny, but the six-time champion loved every minute, even after dropping the first set: "I thought even though I lost the first set it was good tennis," Federer said. "I thought overall we played a good match from start to finish. Good rallies, good atmosphere, it was fun."

Qualifier Bernard Tomic became the first 18-year-old to reach the quarter-finals of the men's singles since Boris Becker in 1986 after a 6-1 7-5 6-4 victory over Xavier Malisse. A shocked Tomic said: "I never thought I'd be here in the second week, especially in the quarter-finals. What a tournament it's been for me, I've learned a lot. I'm in a position now. where I've never been happier and I'm looking forward to playing on Wednesday."

Next up for Tomic is No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic, who sealed his place in the quarter-finals with a routine victory over Michael Llodra. Djokovic has been hitting with the Australian this week and believes the teenager is capable of another great match. "I have only nice words about him, it will be a great match for both of us," he said. "He's a youngster coming up with incredible talent, he's going to be a top player one day. He's been beating players comfortably in this tournament and should be a great match."

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