Top seed David Ferrer saved 10 of 13 break points faced in defeating Israel’s Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Ricoh Open on Thursday. The 2008 and 2012 champion at the ATP World Tour 250 grass-court tournament raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set, then hung on to serve out the win on his third match point. The return of serve was the weapon of choice for both players, who traded eight breaks of serve and just two aces.

“I have very good memories here, having won twice… I thought it was a good way to start my grass season,” Ferrer told Tennis.nl. “I am trying to break back into the Top 10. There are many good players out there like David Goffin, Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios. I know that I am 34 years old, but I still enjoy playing tennis and I hope to have a good grass-court season.”

Facing the Spaniard in the quarter-finals will be Gilles Muller, who struck 13 aces in dismissing Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-1. The left-hander from Luxembourg saved both break points faced and avenged his grass-court loss against Garcia-Lopez at Queen’s in 2009. The pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series is now tied at two.

Third seed Ivo Karlovic defeated Dutch wild card Igor Sijsling 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to advance. The 6’11” Croatian’s favourite shot was working well, as he landed 70 per cent of first serves and fired 20 aces in the 84-minute win.

The 28-year-old Sijsling, No. 118 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, lost the match despite never facing break point. He battled to 4-4 in the first-set tie-break before seeing his opponent sweep the next three points. In the second set, he earned the lone break point of the match on Karlovic’s serve at 2-2, but could not convert. The more experienced Karlovic, aged 37 and currently No. 28 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, went up 6-3 in the second-set tie-break and closed out his fifth win of the year on his third match point.

Up next for the towering Karlovic is Adrian Mannarino, who beat qualifier Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-2 in under an hour. The Frenchman, who stands a full foot shorter than Karlovic, used guile rather than power to prevail. He lost just three first-serve points and did not face a break point.

Two-time champion Rafael Nadal has announced that he will not play at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon. Two weeks ago, the 30-year-old Spaniard cut short his bid for a 10th Roland Garros title as he withdrew prior to his third-round match with a left wrist injury.

“I’m sad to announce that after talking to my doctors, and receiving the results of my last medical revision, I won’t be able to play at Wimbledon this year,” Nadal said via Facebook. “As you can all imagine, it’s a very tough decision, but the injury I suffered at Roland Garros needs time to heal… Thank you all for your support, especially my fans. Your kind messages mean so much to me.”

Nadal won the Wimbledon title in consecutive tournament appearances in 2008 (d. Federer) and ’10 (d. Berdych), after sitting out the tournament in 2009 due to knee tendonitis. Last year, he lost to Dustin Brown 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.

Roger Federer feels at home as one of the sport’s greatest players to step onto a grass court.

The Swiss, who is returning to tour-level play this week at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, has won 15 tour-level titles on the surface, including seven at Wimbledon and eight in Halle. He’s also finished as a runner-up six times on grass.

The 34 year old’s double-digit haul puts him at the top of the career grass-court FedEx ATP Win-Loss Index for the Open Era (since May 1968). Federer, who won his first grass-court title at 2003 Halle, boasts a 142-20 record on the surface (as of 8 June 2016), giving him a staggering winning percentage of 88.

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The World No. 3 has dealt with injuries this year, including torn cartilage in his left knee that required surgery and an ailing back that forced him to miss Roland Garros for the first time since 1998. But playing in Stuttgart for the first time this week, Federer remains hopeful he can get on another grass-court run.

“A good week is if I get on the match court and I play a match. A great week is if I get to the semis, and a dream one would be to win the tournament,” Federer said. “Crazier things have happened. I think everything’s possible this week. At the moment, I step on a grass court and I’m feeling somewhat fine. I will have my chances and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

GREAT ON GRASS – Roger Federer leads the FedEx ATP Win-Loss Index with the best winning percentage in grass-court matches. From 2003 to 2008, he won 65 straight grass-court matches and he lifted 15 titles from 21 grass-court finals. Take a look at his season-by-season tally.

Right behind Federer in the grass-court FedEx ATP Win-Loss Index is another great, John McEnroe. The New Yorker posted a 121-20 career record on the turf, equalling a winning percentage of 86. He, like Federer, also has his share of Wimbledon and other grass tour-level titles. The left-hander won three grass-court titles in south-west London and five others elsewhere. He was also a finalist on the surface five times.

Bjorn Borg, well-known for his clay-court prowess, comes in third on the all-time list with a 61-11 record, a winning percentage of 85. The Swede, who won six Roland Garros titles, also captured five Wimbledon crowns and one other grass-court title.

The remainder of today’s “Big Four” are close behind the aforementioned three. Andy Murray is nearly even with Borg. The Brit possesses a 90-17 record on grass, translating to a winning percentage of 84. The World No. 2 also has won six titles, including 2013 Wimbledon, when he became the first British man to win the championship since Fred Perry in 1936.

Novak Djokovic, a three-time Wimbledon champion, carries a 67-15 career grass-court record and a winning percentage of 82 into this season’s grass stretch. Next month, Djokovic will try to win his third consecutive Wimbledon title.

Rafael Nadal has won four grass-court titles and is 58-17 on the surface for his career, a winning percentage of 77. Last year, the Spaniard added the inaugural Mercedes Cup on grass to his two Wimbledon titles and one title at The Queen’s Club.