Roger Federer overcame a back injury to advance through to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon at the expense of Xavier Malisse this afternoon.
The seven-time champion looked as though he may be forced to retire during the opening set when he called for the trainer and a doctor.
However, having received some pain-killers, Federer returned to the court to take a one-set lead thanks to a 7-1 success in a tie-break.
He still appeared to be struggling with the complaint during the second set, particularly when serving. However, Malisse made several unforced errors which allowed the Swiss player to run out a 6-1 victor.
Malisse stepped up his performance in the third set and made the most of his domination by breaking Federer's serve on two occasions. Federer snatched one of those back, but he was unable to prevent his opponent from serving out for a 6-4 win.
The Belgian broke again at the start of the fourth set as Federer's stint at Wimbledon looked to be in danger. However, he broke back almost immediately, before using all his experience to win the set 6-3 and book his place in the final eight.
The 30-year-old will now take on either Mikhail Youzhny or Denis Istomin for a place in the semi-finals.
Liam Apicella
