'Fabio Fognini beat me in the past, it should be tough,' said Rafael Nadal

World no. 2 Rafael Nadal is through to Melbourne's last 16 for the 14th time in a career, beating Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 to remain on the title course.

Struggling with a back injury for a couple of weeks, Nadal did his best to bring another victory home in straight sets and preserve energy for the upcoming matches, starting with the fourth-round clash against Fabio Fognini. Praising the rival and his level of tennis after an injury, Rafa said that he lost to Fabio a couple of times and that he expects another tough challenge. The Spaniard hopes to get ready for Monday's encounter and seek the quarter-final spot.

"These are my first matches in a long time; I already had three that I hope will prepare me for what is coming. I hope to be ready for Monday. All the matches are tough, and Norrie came here after winning a couple of very good encounters. I didn't convert the opportunities that I had at the beginning of every set, and the situation became a little more complicated.

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I had many chances with a couple of 0/30 leads and break points that I didn't convert. When you play against the world's best players, it is expected that you would suffer a bit. Fognini and I played a lot of times, and he beat me in a couple of matches. He came here after an injury and will be hungry to play well. He scored an impressive victory today against De Minaur.

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I saw it was in straight sets, and he will come into the match with plenty of confidence; I need to keep improving. You don't expect an easy round in the last 16 at Majors; it should be a tough one, and I have to be ready for it," Rafael Nadal said.