Cranky Nadal limps into 4th round

WIMBLEDON, England – This was a cranky Rafael Nadal, an aching Nadal, a Nadal who asked for a trainer to treat his arm and his thigh, whose dialogue with his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, caused chair umpire Cedric Mourier to twice admonish Wimbledon’s No. 2-seeded player to knock off the chatter.

Coaching from the stands, after all, isn’t allowed.

And still Nadal, the 2008 Wimbledon champion who missed the chance to defend his title last year because of a knee injury, tapped into his reserve tank of energy, took to heart whatever advice he was getting from Uncle Toni and, for the second match in a row, won a five-setter at Wimbledon.

This one, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Philipp Petzschner of Germany on Saturday, puts Nadal into a fourth-round matchup Monday against Paul-Henri Mathieu, one of three Frenchmen who have lasted this long.

That’s one more than the U.S.

Sam Querrey of Santa Monica, Calif., joined Andy Roddick as the only American men in the fourth round after he eliminated Belgian veteran Xavier Malisse, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 9-7, just before it became too dark to play.

A much-anticipated women’s fourth-round match was finalized when first Serena Williams and then, after a little more effort, Maria Sharapova each won.

Williams, seeded No. 1 and the defending champion, beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, 6-0, 7-5, and then Sharapova, seeded 16th, used almost two hours to beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-3.

But it was Nadal, whose alternating mood swings and injuries consumed the energy of the Centre Court fans and of Mourier, who lectured the Spaniard to “stop the coaching.”

Nadal said the warning he received was unfair. “Sometimes in the past Toni talks maybe too much. But not today.”

And while Nadal usually will not admit to any physical problems, he conceded Saturday that all is not well. “I have a little bit of a problem in the right knee,” he said. “I am a little bit scared about the knee.”

Nadal said the knee has been bothering him since March.

Williams had no excuses for her downcast appearance after she finished off her 68-minute win. Although she had 20 aces, 37 winners and only nine unforced errors, Williams suggested her level needed to get better.

“I just thought I could have played better in the second set,” she said. “I just kind of came off the gas.”

Sharapova had more positive on-court reactions after her win.

Williams leads the series with Sharapova, 5-2, but one of her losses was in the 2004 Wimbledon final when Sharapova made her big breakthrough at age 17, winning her first major tournament. Sharapova hasn’t beaten Williams since the 2004 WTA Tour season-ending tournament, however.