Rafael Nadal has looked very comfortable in the Madrid Open so far with cruising victories, but the Spaniard will face a stern test in the form of Grigor Dimitrov on Friday during the quarter-finals of the competition.
Dimitrov, who is seeded 10th in the competition, has also maintained good form and will be a confident player after his victory over eighth seed Stan Wawrinka in the third round. The Bulgarian showed a lot of character in his match against Wawrinka, which was stretched to three sets. The score read 6-7, 6-3 and 3-6.
If the 10th seed comes up with a repeat performance, the Spaniard needs to come up with his A class game as well to reach the semis of the competition. Nadal is aware that the game is not going to be an easy one against Dimitrov.
"Everything worries me about Dimitrov," ATP's official website quoted Nadal as saying. "He's a very good player. The only way to beat him is to play at really high level. I think he has had more difficult matches than me this week. That's an advantage for him. Let's see what happens. I hope to be ready for it, but I know Dimitrov is a fantastic player and a player that can win against everybody. Great talent."
Rafael Nadal has always been one of the favourites to lift the Madrid Open as he has already clinched the title four times in his career. He is the defending champion as well.
But, Nadal has been under par season, compared to previous seasons. He has only won one ATP title so far in 2015.
With Madrid Open being played on his favourite clay surface, the Spaniard is expected to get back to his winning ways as well, as he is the best player on clay.
The Bulgarian has also not had an impressive year so far with his final four finish in Brisbane International being his best. After defeating Wawrinka, it will not be a surprise if he creates another shock.
Dimitrov knows what to expect from the player as well.
"I know what to expect from him and we all know what I'm going to put out there on the court, which is going to be a great performance," said Dimitrov.
"It's one of those days where I really want to be out there on the court, playing against him on clay. I feel like I have been playing good tennis, so why not go out there and have fun, but at the same time, I know why I'm out there."
Where to Watch Live
The quarter-final clash between Rafael Nadal and Grigor Dimitrov is scheduled to start at 3:30pm local time (7pm IST, 9:30am ET, 2:30pm BST) with live coverage in India on Ten Sports.
Viewers in the US can watch it on Tennis Channel, while the UK viewers can catch it live on Sky Sports 3.
People around the world can stream it live from the official website.
