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Nadal fit to challenge for Wimbledon semi-final spot

| 28.06.2011

Ante post punters can breathe a huge sigh of relief after Rafael Nadal’s MRI scan showed no serious damage to the foot he injured during his clash with Juan Martin del Potro on Monday.

Incredibly Nadal had drifted out to third favourite on the basis of his meeting with the doctors this morning, but the world number one is back in to 9/4 for the championship following the all clear.

The Spaniard will face Mardy Fish for a place in the semi-final on Wednesday after the American stunned Tomas Berdych in the fourth round, and Nadal is the 1/6 favourite to win the match.

Fish is more than adequate on grass having reached the final in two of his last three grass tournaments, but there is no doubt Fish is the easier opponent of the two potential quarter-finalists for Nadal, and the Spaniard has to be fancied to progess.

Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez will do battle on Wednesday for the right to face either Nadal or Fish in the semi-final, and considering Murray has a 4-0 head-to-head record over the world number 44, it’s safe to assume Murray will be in the semi-final.

Nadal’s foot injury will worry some punters but a heavy dose of strapping was enough to see him through a tricky tie with del Potro on Monday and the world number one continues his remarkable Wimbledon record.

Since losing to Gilles Muller at Wimbledon in 2005, Nadal has played 32 matches at Wimbledon and has only lost to Roger Federer, in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals.

A knee injury ruled Nadal out of the 2009 Wimbledon championships but the Spaniard remains unbeaten in his last 18 Wimbledon matches.

Roger Federer is still the 13/8 favourite but the Swiss has the hardest quarter-final draw in Jo-Wilfired Tsonga and Nadal holds all the value in the Wimbledon betting.

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Author

Robbie Morris

Robbie studied sports journalism at the University of Gloucestershire, an establishment chosen for its proximity to Cheltenham racecourse, where he was a season ticket holder. Upon graduation, Robbie was a contributor to GolfPunk, a national magazine aimed at ridding golf of its traditionalist image, before joining the news.ladbrokes team.