Anything Roger can do, Rafa can do too. Even a little more simply.
One day after Federer made his way back to the quarter-finals with a five-set win over Kei Nishikori, Nadal booked his own place there.
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Relentless Nadal downs Monfils
Despite some impressive shots from Gael Monfils, Rafael Nadal knocks out the entertaining sixth-seed Frenchman in four sets.
He will play Milos Raonic on Wednesday, after beating Gael Monfils in four sets to make his 30th grand slam quarter-final.
Monfils made him work for the 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win, after Nadal initially made it hard for Monfils to even get a look at breaking serve, let alone doing so.
![Rafael Nadal during fourth round match.](/web/20170124094656im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/x/a/p/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtxapl.png/1485178765623.jpg)
There was a bit of everything in the Frenchman's game: the airborne volleys, the big winners, the dinky angles and a willingness to persist, fight and find ways.
After winning the third set, he broke Nadal again early in the fourth but was unable to hold on to his lead against a player who has lost very few matches after starting out with a two-set lead.
It took Nadal until the eighth game to break back, but from there he was able to wrest back control of the match almost immediately, holding his serve to love and then upping the pressure even more.
Monfils was able to save one match point with a scorching forehand winner down the line. He was unable to save the next, with an equally ambitious shot down the opposite side just missing.
![Gael Monfils takes on Rafael Nadal.](/web/20170124094656im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/x/a/p/5/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtxapl.png/1485178765623.jpg)
Neither his opponent's aggression or unpredictability came as any surprise to Nadal, who will play his first quarter-final since the 2015 French Open and could make his first semi-final since the same event in 2014.
"The match was tough. He had chances then. Is true that I had my chances before, but I had some mistakes. He started to serve huge, no?" said Nadal.
"Sometimes is tough to play against Gael when you don't know what he going to do. First two sets were a little bit more normal, normal tennis. Then he start to play more aggressive.
"He start to serve huge and play big shots. He combines mistakes with great shots, no? Make you feel that you don't know if you have to go for the points or if you have to wait little bit for his mistake.
"You see that the opponent is playing a little bit more 50/50, you know. So is not an easy way to play.
"But I made it. Positive thing, I keep fighting with positive attitude. Finally I played last few games good."
Beaten in the first round in Melbourne last year, Nadal now has the chance to move into a semi-final against Grigor Dimitrov or David Goffin, should he make his way past Raonic.
Nadal lost his most recent match against the Canadian, in Brisbane earlier this month, with Raonic serving well (including 23 aces) to set up his first win over Nadal in almost two years.
Can he do anything differently? "I don't know. I don't know what can be different, no? I think going to be a tough match for me, for sure. Hopefully for him, too," Nadal said.
"Yeah, in Brisbane he beat me. But at the same time is true that I have been close. A set up and important breakpoint that I had passing shot, no?
"Is tough. He's an opponent that make you feel that you're playing with a lot of pressure all the time because his serve is huge and he's playing very aggressive from the baseline. So going to be a very tough match, but I hope to be ready for it.
"I need to be very focused with my serve and play aggressive. If I am not playing aggressive, then I am dead, because he plays aggressive.
"You know finally he going to have chances on the return because he decides to play with going for the shots."