Nadal takes on Muller for quarterfinal spot

Nadal takes on Muller for quarterfinal spot After a scary bout with cramps in his third round post-match presser, Rafael Nadal took to the practice courts in preparation for his round of 16 showdown against Gilles Muller.

In order to ease the minds of his legion of fans, Rafael Nadal posted a photo on Facebook showing a 2-hour practice session on Monday. The Spaniard had a frightening collapse on Saturday owing to thigh cramps, but seems to be ready to go for his Tuesday match.

Gilles Muller of Luxembourg has actually defeated Nadal once, back in the 2005 Wimbledon second round. The two men played again this year at the All-England Club. Muller was able to take the world No. 2 to a pair of tiebreaks, but he eventually lost in straight sets.

Muller has had a favorable path to the round of 16. Ernests Gulbis took out No. 16 seed Mikhail Youzhny in the first round, only to lose to Muller in the second. Muller’s third round opponent was Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn.

Muller has a monster first serve. He has served 65 aces at the US Open this year, second behind only Ivo Karlovic. That single shot is powerful enough to make life difficult for Rafael Nadal, but the Spaniard will likely win any extended rallies.