Rafael Nadal: I need to keep improving

Rafael Nadal. Pic/Getty Images

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal accelerated his pursuit of a record 21st Grand Slam title Saturday with a testing victory over Cameron Norrie in an Australian Open battle of the left-handers.

The Spanish second seed has altered his service motion due to lower-back tightness, but it didn't stop him emphatically demolishing his first two opponents in straight sets.

Britain's 69th-ranked Norrie proved a tougher assignment, with Nadal pressed much harder before emerging a 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 winner in an empty Rod Laver Arena as Melbourne went into a five-day COVID-19 lockdown. It put him into a Slam Last 16 for the 49th time, behind only Roger Federer (67) and Novak Djokovic (53).

"All the matches are tough...I didn't convert the opportunities I had at the beginning of every set, so then the situation becomes a little bit more difficult.
But happy now, good feelings. Of course I need to keep improving. And then of course you are playing against the best players in the world, so it's normal that you might suffer a bit," he said.

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