Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer Advance To Fourth Round Of Australian Open
Top seeded Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open, defeating Frenchman Gael Monfils for the 10th time in 12 matches in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 win in just over two hours. He will face No. 16 seeded Kei Nishikori.
Earlier, three-time finalist Andy Murray also advanced for the sixth straight year with a 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 26-seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain.
Murray was playing his second tournament following back surgery back in September and took two hours and 15 minutes for his victory over the Spaniard.
“It’s been a good start,” Murray said. “It was very tricky the first couple of matches with the heat, but today was beautiful to play in.”
Crowd packed in for an Andy Murray practice session @AustralianOpen (via @MatsMerkel) ^DC pic.twitter.com/gIxYGxt8kQ
— adidas tennis (@adidastennis) January 19, 2014
Sixth-seeded Roger Federer won in straight sets to advance to the fourth round for the 13th consecutive time.
This is the lowest seed for the Swiss legend after a year which saw him not win a single Grand Slam title for the first time since 2002.
His wife Mirka and their twin daughters watched him from the stands. She is pregnant with the couple’s third child.
“The last time (Mirka) was pregnant, I played fairly well, won the French and Wimbledon,” he said, referring to 2009. “So lots of pressure there.”
Rafael Nadal says he is enjoying seeing legends such as Boris Becker — Novak Djokovic’s coach — and Stephan Edberg — Federer’s coach — return to the tennis circuit, but he is not interested in hiring a former champion himself.
“Well, I know them from the past, It’s great to have great champions on the tour again as coaches; it makes the tour more important, brings encouragement.”
“But when I was a young kid my first memory is Sampras-Agassi. These guys who are here today, I didn’t have the luck to see them play.”
“Sure, I watch a lot of tennis when I was a kid, but I don’t have a strong hero or a strong idol.”
For Rafael Nadal, tennis is about effort, commitment, and the repetition of simple training patterns with an intensity that no other modern player can match.
Rafael Nadal ripping a forehand in practice with uncle Toni watching on. Can he triumph at the #AusOpen? pic.twitter.com/fVGM9n3tA9
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) January 19, 2014
The action promises to be electric in the fourth round of the Australian Open with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Andy Murray all playing.
