Nadal insists he is the new peoples champion

Spaniard Rafael Nadal has insisted that he is the new peoples champion after he shrugged off a knee injury to reach the quarterfinals with a 6-3 6-3 6-1 win against Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

London, July 1 : Spaniard Rafael Nadal has insisted that he is the new people's champion after he shrugged off a knee injury to reach the quarterfinals with a 6-3 6-3 6-1 win against Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

Nadal will meet Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.

The second seed is convinced that the crowd will not be completely partisan against him when he faces Murray tomorrow.

Nadal, 22, said: "When I go on court I feel the people are with me. That is very nice. I want to say thank you very much to the English people for this. I am always very happy about the crowd here. Always."

Nadal's team will today decide if he needs any more attention on his right knee which caused concern in the first set and required treatment during a break in play, The Sun reported.

"I think my knee is fine. I'll see how I wake up tomorrow but I am feeling better. I was a little bit scared because I felt something. I felt a crack behind the knee. But I think it is fine," he added.

Football fan Nadal has put the champagne on ice despite Spain's stylish Euro 2008 win.

"All I could do was jump around the house when Spain won. The champagne will have to wait until the end of the tournament. I will have to play my best tennis to get to the semi-finals. I can't go out and celebrate yet," he said.

ANI