Wed 29 Oct, 06:30 PM
PARIS (AFP) - Top-ranked Rafael Nadal could be excused if he felt it was time for a rest after landing two Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal this year, as well as dethroning Roger Federer.
But after a tour-leading eight titles this season the Mallorcan machine revealed why he still has plenty in the tank as he limbers up for more glory at the Shanghai Masters Cup and the Davis Cup away to Argentina. "I know I have to keep on giving it everything to stay on top. But I'm someone who tries to have fun out there and that's what I'll keep on doing," Nadal vowed after cruising into the third round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over unseeded Frenchman Florent Serra.
Nadal once again proved far too strong for an opponent who had taken a mere five games in total from him from two previous meetings. He staved off a sole break point in the fourth game of the second set before Serra drove long to hand the Spaniard victory in 1hr 14min and send him into a meeting with Frenchman Gael Monfils, whom he has beaten twice before, both times on clay.
Asked if his trans-continental climax to the season would not take too much out of him - Shanghai ends on November 16, while the Davis Cup starts in Argentina five days later - the 22-year-old smiled and said: "If I am still around (at the business end of Shanghai) it will mean I have had a productive week."
"Every match is important - I always give my absolute best. I want to keep getting better."
Argentine David Nalbandian, who stunned Nadal in last year's final at the Bercy stadium, also progressed to the last 16 with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 win over German veteran Nicolas Kiefer.
Nalbandian booked a third meeting in less than a month with Davis Cup teammate Juan Martin del Potro. If Nalbandian beats his fellow Argentine here he could prevent Del Potro from appearing in Shanghai. "It's going to be a tough one - we know each other very well," said the 26-year-old from Cordoba who lifted the Masters Cup in 2005.
"We just played last week and the week before," added Nalbandian, alluding to a Del Potro win earlier this month in Madrid and one of his own in Basel.
French tenth seed Gilles Simon moved on to a meeting with US world number six Andy Roddick by coming back from 0-4 down in the second set to see off Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 7-5.
Simon took another step towards qualifying for Shanghai as one of his chief rivals, Spain's David Ferrer, lost in straight sets to German Philipp Kohlschreiber and cannot now make the top eight.
Russian sixth seed and 2006 champion Nikolay Davydenko battled past 2005 runner-up Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 and next plays 2005 champion Tomas Berdych, who defeated Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.
Elsewhere, Marin Cilic of Croatia defeated Spaniard Marcel Granollers 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) to set up a potential meeting with Federer. Federer first had later on Wednesday to get past Robin Soderling of Sweden, against whom he is 7-0 to date.
British star Andy Murray was bringing the curtain down with a late game against American Sam Querrey for the right to meet Spanish 15th seed Fernando Verdasco. Murray is bidding to become the first man to win three straight Masters events after his successes in Cincinnati and Madrid.
PARIS (AFP) - Top-ranked Rafael Nadal could be excused if he felt it was time for a rest after landing two Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal this year, as well as dethroning Roger Federer.
But after a tour-leading eight titles this season the Mallorcan machine revealed why he still has plenty in the tank as he limbers up for more glory at the Shanghai Masters Cup and the Davis Cup away to Argentina. "I know I have to keep on giving it everything to stay on top. But I'm someone who tries to have fun out there and that's what I'll keep on doing," Nadal vowed after cruising into the third round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over unseeded Frenchman Florent Serra.
Nadal once again proved far too strong for an opponent who had taken a mere five games in total from him from two previous meetings. He staved off a sole break point in the fourth game of the second set before Serra drove long to hand the Spaniard victory in 1hr 14min and send him into a meeting with Frenchman Gael Monfils, whom he has beaten twice before, both times on clay.
Asked if his trans-continental climax to the season would not take too much out of him - Shanghai ends on November 16, while the Davis Cup starts in Argentina five days later - the 22-year-old smiled and said: "If I am still around (at the business end of Shanghai) it will mean I have had a productive week."
"Every match is important - I always give my absolute best. I want to keep getting better."
Argentine David Nalbandian, who stunned Nadal in last year's final at the Bercy stadium, also progressed to the last 16 with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 win over German veteran Nicolas Kiefer.
Nalbandian booked a third meeting in less than a month with Davis Cup teammate Juan Martin del Potro. If Nalbandian beats his fellow Argentine here he could prevent Del Potro from appearing in Shanghai. "It's going to be a tough one - we know each other very well," said the 26-year-old from Cordoba who lifted the Masters Cup in 2005.
"We just played last week and the week before," added Nalbandian, alluding to a Del Potro win earlier this month in Madrid and one of his own in Basel.
French tenth seed Gilles Simon moved on to a meeting with US world number six Andy Roddick by coming back from 0-4 down in the second set to see off Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 7-5.
Simon took another step towards qualifying for Shanghai as one of his chief rivals, Spain's David Ferrer, lost in straight sets to German Philipp Kohlschreiber and cannot now make the top eight.
Russian sixth seed and 2006 champion Nikolay Davydenko battled past 2005 runner-up Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 and next plays 2005 champion Tomas Berdych, who defeated Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.
Elsewhere, Marin Cilic of Croatia defeated Spaniard Marcel Granollers 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) to set up a potential meeting with Federer. Federer first had later on Wednesday to get past Robin Soderling of Sweden, against whom he is 7-0 to date.
British star Andy Murray was bringing the curtain down with a late game against American Sam Querrey for the right to meet Spanish 15th seed Fernando Verdasco. Murray is bidding to become the first man to win three straight Masters events after his successes in Cincinnati and Madrid.
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