The men’s and women’s quarter-finals continue today with players aiming to reach the last four in their respective draws. But my focus will be on Center Court where 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal will face American 11th seed Taylor Fritz. The pair have met just twice, but Fritz won their most recent match at Indian Wells in March. Nadal said: “Actually what I learned in that last match was zero because I had a stress fracture in my ribs and it was difficult to learn many things because, frankly, the pain was terrible playing that match. “We didn’t know we had a fractured rib during the race, but I knew something was wrong, very badly during the race, because the pain was so bad. “Obviously he’s playing at a very, very high level, he’s having a great season, he’s winning matches everywhere. Yes, he’s already at a very high position in the competition, especially without points here. It’s bad for him in this case because the fourth-Oli finals are many points. “But, yes, he’s in a privileged position. It’s going to be a tough quarter-final against a great player. But at the same time we’re in the quarter-finals, so you can’t expect an easy opponent out there.” For Fritz, this is his first quarter-final at grand slam level, but he insists he is ready for the moment. He said: “I’ve kind of been in those moments before, like the Indian Wells semi-final, the Indian Wells final. I’d say it’s probably like a quarter-final slam. Obviously three-out-of-five sets. I think it raises the occasion if I play Nadal. “But I’m trying to approach it like I did last time, treat it like any other match because I was playing well. It’s about replicating the way I used to play and trusting that that will be enough. “
