Rafael Nadal took a step closer to his first Wimbledon final for 11 years - but made a dog’s dinner of beating a little-known Lithuanian.
Watched by Dame Mary Berry, the King of Clay, who saw off Francisco Cerundolo in the opening round, looked badly undercooked on grass as he toiled to put away Ricardas Berankis in four sets, 6-4 6-4 4-6 6-3.
Unable to find his range he got away with the bare minimum to set up a third round match with Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, but did little to convince anyone he is about to land the opening three Grand Slams of the year for the first time. Nadal, a two-time champion on his first appearance here for three years, made 13 unforced errors in taking the opening set 6-4 on Centre Court.
