RAFAEL NADAL believes it is only a matter of time before Andy Murray wins a grand slam title.
The 23-year-old Spaniard knows what it takes to win a major having already claimed six in his impressive young career.
Murray, who is one year Nadal’s junior, is still waiting to claim his maiden major success with his final appearance at the 2008 US Open the closest the Scot has come to breaking Britain’s 74-year wait for a male champion.
‘‘He is going to have a lot of chances to win a grand slam and I think he is going to do it for sure,’’ Nadal said.
‘‘He has enough results from the past to be confident of a win at a grand slam.
‘‘I don’t think Andy has to prove anything to anybody.
He can win for sure.’’ Nadal holds a 7-2 win-loss record against Murray but is wary of the Scot after his dazzling displays at Melbourne Park this week in which he has not dropped a set.
‘‘Playing Andy is one of the toughest matches you can have on the circuit,’’ he said.
‘‘To beat him you have to be able to fight at every single moment and then see what happens.
‘‘He can play every single shot well. He serves very well.
He can play defence, he can attack, he has good hands.
‘‘He uses his sliced backhand very well and he’s able to change his hands very quickly to play drop shots.
‘‘He has a lot of options in his game and that’s a big advantage.
We both have our own weapons.’’ Roger Federer, meanwhile, will play his recent nemesis Nikolay Davydenko in the quarter-finals after the Swiss brushed aside local hope Lleyton Hewitt.
The world number one produced a masterclass to stun Hewitt, and an expectant capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena, 6-2 6-3 6-4.
Earlier, Davydenko withstood a Fernando Verdasco fightback to progress 6-2 7-5 4- 6 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 and set up what could be a spicy encounter with the Swiss.
The 28-year-old Russian has beaten Federer in their past two meetings and last week said the top players were ‘‘scared’’ of him following a recent run of form that has seen him lift the ATP World Tour Final and Doha titles.
Federer has rarely been goaded during his career but looked to respond to the comments after his victory when he said he expected to end Davydenko’s recent run.
‘‘I’m in for a good match for sure, but I obviously favour my chances in a best-of-fiveset match,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ll see how it goes.’’ Federer will be looking to qualify for a record 23rd consecutive grand slam semifinal and is aware of the danger Davydenko poses, saying the Russian’s improved serve had caught him out in their recent matches.
‘‘In Doha when I played him he hit 27 out of 27 first serves into the court clocking them at around 190 (kilometres per hour),” he said.
“So it’s a bit a difference, you know? That makes it a bit more difficult to break. Obviously he’s one of the good return players we have in the game. He moves extremely well and makes it hard.’’ Novak Djokovic, the 2008 winner, eased to another routine 6-1 6-2 7-5 win over the world number 86 Lukasz Kubot.
Djokovic’s victory followed his 6-1 6-1 6-2 demolition of Denis Istomin in the previous round as the Serb has been able to progress without having yet played a seed.
‘‘It’s a grand slam. To reach last-16, last-eight, it’s not a piece of cake,’’ he said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here