Nadal back on top form

Rafael Nadal eased any concerns over his fitness with a dominant victory over Paul-Henri Mathieu in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

The Spaniard made it 10 wins from 10 career meetings against Mathieu with a 6-4 6-2 6-2 victory on Court One to set up an eye-catching quarter-final with sixth seed Robin Soderling.

Mathieu now shares with Fernando Verdasco the worst head-to-head record against Nadal, whose recent injury worries were little in evidence during the two-hour encounter.

The Spaniard, who missed the defence of his title last year with tendinitis, said he was “scared” about a flare up of one of his knees during his win over Philipp Petzschner in the last round.

Nadal also had to call on the trainer to deal with an arm injury during the five-set encounter, but the seven-time grand slam title winner looked in peak condition today, showing good agility and hitting brisk winners off both sides.