Rafael Nadal treated for nasty blister on hand at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Rafael Nadal received treatment for a blister on his left palm during his 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory over Kei Nishikori in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Monday.

It ain't pretty, either:

Nadal, a lefty, said the blister was more awkward than painful, as he's not accustomed to having that part of his hand covered.

"The feeling on the racket is a little bit more difficult," Nadal said.

Nevertheless, Nadal racked up his fourth victory here without dropping a set, withstanding a strong performance from Nishikori, who served for the third set and made the Spaniard work over three hours and 17 minutes.

"Kei played a fantastic match," Nadal said. "Just a few mistakes in some moments. But for the rest, he played very aggressive, he went for the shots. He came on court with determination to take the ball very early and go for the winners."

Nadal will face first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday. The 13-time major champion is 3-0 against the 22-year-old Bulgarian, but all three matches have gone the full three sets.

(Video via Eurosport. Photo via Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)