Rafael Nadal is hoping to reach the fourth round this afternoon When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Wimbledon have come under heavy fire for the amount of plastic waste the club produces over the two weeks of competition. However, the All England Club have started taking small steps towards addressing the problem. And Nadal has got behind the latest initiative as he is a firm believer in protecting the plant. The Spaniard spends a lot of his free time travelling on boats across the ocean and he believes anything to help the environment is a good thing.<doc-sep>Rafael Nadal is into the Wimbledon semi-finals Rafael Nadal is into the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time since 2011 after a five-set victory over Juan Martin del Potro on Wednesday. James Walker-Roberts looks at how he has rediscovered his best form on the grass again... Final. Final. Winner. Winner. Final. Second round. First round. Fourth round. Second round. Fourth round. Rafael Nadal's record at Wimbledon over the last decade reads like a once-great player who has lost his mojo. At least on grass. Blasted out by Lukas Rosol in 2012, upset by Dustin Brown in 2015 and outlasted by Gilles Muller in 2017, the odds were starting to grow longer that Nadal would ever win a third title at the All England Club. It was even suggested that perhaps he might follow Roger Federer's clay-court approach over the last two years and skip the entire grass-court season. That he didn't choose to do that looks now to be a wise move. Not only is Nadal into the semi-finals of Wimbledon for the first time since 2011, but he is playing some of his best grass-court tennis in a while. He is serving well, hitting his powerful groundstrokes well, returning well, and winning points at the net. He also showed intensity and resilience to come through a thrilling five-set match against Juan Martin del Potro in the quarter-finals. Del Potro hit 77 winners, including 33 aces, but Nadal withstood the barrage and won in a near-five-hour contest to set up a meeting with Novak Djokovic on Friday. Nadal's coach, Francisco Roig, says he is not necessarily playing "better" than last year, but instead he is more "well-rounded". Compared to years ago, a younger Rafa was brutally fast with awesome mobility, but the 2018 version of Rafa is a more well-rounded player Nadal's coach Francisco Roig "It's not fair to say he's better this year at Wimbledon than he was in 2017," Roig told the ATP website after Nadal's fourth-round win over Jiri Vesely. "It's a different version of himself, equipped with different tools. We've been watching a lot of video, obviously. Compared to years ago, a younger Rafa was brutally fast with awesome mobility, but the 2018 version of Rafa is a more well-rounded player." Alex de Minaur painted a picture of what it's like to play this "version" of Nadal after losing to him in the third round. "It's just incredible his physicality. That's probably what shocked me the most," he said. "Obviously you watch him on TV, and you can't really appreciate how hard he hits every single ball and how much intensity and just brute force goes into every one of his ground strokes." There had been questions about whether Nadal could compete at this level at Wimbledon this year - or maybe ever again. After winning an 11th French Open title in early June, the 32-year-old spoke about a "long and mentally tough clay-court season" and how he would have to think about the "drastic change from clay to grass". He eventually made the decision to pull out of Queen's, saying he needed to "listen to what my body is telling me", and decided that a couple of exhibition matches at Hurlingham would be enough preparation for Wimbledon. He appears to have got it spot on. Nadal won Wimbledon in 2010 and 2008 And then there has been the weather. While Nadal has somewhat played down the impact of the constant sun in hardening the courts - "if I play bad, it doesn't matter if it's warm or cold or rain or sun" - other players have said the balls are bouncing higher. Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray says the court conditions are "perfect" for Nadal. "The conditions are perfect for Rafa Nadal right now in terms of a grass court," he told the BBC. "Because of the heat he gets more movement with his serve as well. With his knees, with the ball bouncing up higher, it is good for him too." Not only are the conditions seemingly favourable, but Nadal is playing at a level that he has not regularly reached at Wimbledon in recent years. His coach, Roig, said after his win over Vesely that Nadal is playing "top-level tennis and looks in fine form". Nadal celebrates his victory over Del Potro That has been emphasised by his number of winners - over 30 in three of his first four matches and 66 against Del Potro - his strong serving and his net play - until the quarter-finals he had won 84 per cent of net points, the highest in the field. But how does he rate his level, having reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2011? "For me the feeling is that there is two or three years that I really played bad. That was '12, '13 and '15. The rest I have been there competitive. And sometimes you win, sometimes you lose," he said after his fourth-round win over Vesely. "It is true that the opponents probably played some good matches, but what happened is that I was not playing the right way. We can find reasons, knees, everything, true. "It was more about I was not able to compete at the best level than the opponents that played very well. Of course, they played well, and they deserved the victory. If I am playing well, then the opponents have less chance to play that well and beat me." Is Nadal playing well enough to win Wimbledon for a third time? It certainly looks that way. We have Wimbledon covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis then click through to our dedicated section skysports.com/tennis/wimbledon. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation. Our next tennis action comes from the German Open in Hamburg. Watch the action live on Sky Sports Arena from Monday, July 23 from 10am. Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low-quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass this summer.<doc-sep>The Rafael Nadal's coach Francis Roig is confident ahead of the world No. 1's Wimbledon semifinals match against Novak Djokovic. Speaking to Spanish media on Thursday, Roig said Nadal is 'slightly favorite' for having won many matches recently. 'Winning a Grand Slam gives a lot to these players like (Roger) Federer or (Novak) Djokovic. Sometimes people are not aware about it, but winning the Roland Garros gives a lot to Rafa, winning Australian Open gives a lot to Federer. This confidence lasts a while. They are obliged to win a Grand Slam every year, otherwise it's a failure. Winning gives calmness, a margin. It's not the same for Rafa to come here after winning in Paris than if he didn't.' On how Nadal recovered after the long match against Juan Martin del Potro, Roig said: 'He woke up well, a little bit tired. On a physical level a two-hour and a half match would have been better, but you also need to look at the positive side. He played for a lot of time in tense situations, which helps.' About Djokovic, Roig finally said: 'He is getting to his level. But which one? The one where he dominates everyone? I don't think so. That's given by confidence, wins, going through tense moments. I think he's like the one before making the big step.' ALSO READ: 'Nadal vs del Potro the best match I have ever seen' - Simona Halep<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Nadal is hoping to don Federer’s crown this weekend by winning his third Wimbledon title. Federer suffered a shock quarter-final exit so Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who meet in the semi-finals this afternoon, are hoping to take full advantage. The world No 1 entered the grass season having won four clay-court titles, including the French Open. And that will provide the perfect confidence boost for Nadal to win his 18th major tournament, claims Roig.<doc-sep>
Rafael Nadal closed in on a dream Wimbledon final as the sport's one of the greatest player swept into the last-eight on Monday. World number one Nadal, the two-time champion, reached his first quarter-final at Wimbledon since 2011 -- when he went on to finish runner-up -- with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic. Nadal, like Federer yet to drop a set, routed world number 93 Vesely on the eve of the Czech player's 25th birthday. Monday's win took Nadal, 32, into a 35th Grand Slam quarter-final. "It was an important victory as since 2011 I have not been in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. So it's an important moment," said Nadal, the 17-time Grand Slam champion who has made four successive quarter-finals at the majors for the first time in six years. "He started to play better from the base line, I made a couple of mistakes in the service game I lost (at 3-4 in the third set) but I feel I came back straight away. That was key." Next up for Nadal is either Juan Martin del Potro, the fifth seeded Argentine, or unseeded Gilles Simon of France. He has a 10-5 winning record against del Potro and 8-1 over Simon. Three-time champion Novak Djokovic, seeded a lowly 12 this year, can make his 10th Wimbledon quarter-final if he defeats unseeded Karen Khachanov, the world number 40 from Russia. The winner of that clash will take on Kei Nishikori, who overcame a right arm injury to reach his first Wimbledon quarter-final with a gritty 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (12/10), 6-1 win over Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis. "It's always like big war for me when I play Novak. I always enjoy playing against him. It's always a big challenge," said Nishikori, who has beaten the Serb just twice in 15 meetings. The 28-year-old Nishikori is the first Japanese man to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon since Shuzo Matsuoka in 1995. Nishikori needed lengthy treatment and a medical timeout on his arm injury in the first set and had to save two set points in the third. Gulbis, ranked 130 and who came through qualifying, had shocked fourth seeded German Alexander Zverev in the third round. But having played three successive five-set matches in the main draw to get this far, he ran out of steam. American ninth seed John Isner also reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final with a 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/4) win over Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas. Isner, 33, will be playing in his first quarter-final at the majors since the 2011 US Open when he faces former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic. Raonic fired 37 aces and 74 winners to defeat Mackenzie McDonald of the United States and reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time. Promoted The 27-year-old Canadian, runner-up to Andy Murray in 2016, triumphed 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2. The 13th seed won all 20 of his service games.