Blisters causing Nadal problems on serve

Rafael Nadal has conceded he is under pressure when serving after advancing to the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday. Top seed Nadal saw off a spirited challenge from Bulgaria's 22nd seed Grigor Dimitrov 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 in three hours and 37 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, but not before experiencing more issues with blisters on his left hand. The Spaniard admitted that while hitting his heavy top-spin forehand gave him no issues, when it came to serving, it was another matter. "No, with the forehand it is not a big issue. With the serve, (it is a) little bit," said Nadal ahead of a blockbuster semi-final with Roger Federer on Friday. "I feel that with the tape I can lose the racquet when I'm serving. That's my feeling, no? The racquet can go (out of my hand). "That's a terrible feeling for a serve, because then when you have this feeling you are not able to accelerate at the right moment. You lose a little bit the coordination. Yeah, that's a big deal. "But right, I served slower. I served bad. I was able to win a match against a very difficult opponent, so that has much more value than when everything is great." Nadal refused to be drawn on the comparison of Dimitrov's backhand to that of his next opponent, 17-time major winner Federer, with the Bulgarian being compared to the Swiss great for some years now. "(It) is a difficult question to answer because if I say no, seems I am arrogant. If I say yes, it seems like I say, I don't know, he has a better backhand than Roger," said Nadal, when asked if Dimitrov was able to control the Spaniard's forehand. "I don't feel that… I feel that he's a great player. He's able to hit good backhands. It is true that when I am hitting my backhand good and long and with the right spin, I create trouble on him, too." An emotional Dimitrov - who was reduced to tears when reminiscing his choice of shot that he squandered for a potential 2-1 lead in sets - was disappointed with the end result, but hungry to add to his lone major quarter-final appearance. "Well, there's a lot of mixed feelings right now. I'm a bit shattered. It's tough losing that match, my first quarter-final," said the 22-year-old. "I came out expecting nothing less than to win. All the credit to Rafa. He's been a tremendous competitor, great guy off the court."