The day after his 32nd birthday, Rafael Nadal said he did not “feel old” and moved a step closer to an 11th French Open title on Monday by beating Maximilian Marterer.
Nadal’s 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Marterer, a German ranked No. 70, saw him equal the record of 12 quarterfinal appearances at Roland Garros, which was set by Novak Djokovic the day before.
The top-seeded Nadal is now alone in third place on the career list for most match wins at Grand Slam events with 234.
“I don’t feel old,” said Nadal, who powered 39 winners past Marterer.