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WIMBLEDON, England (AP):

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal rallied for another five-set victory yesterday, overcoming knee problems, an umpire's warning and a tough challenge from a hard-hitting German to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Nadal battled back from two-sets-to-one down for the second straight match to defeat Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 in a Centre Court slugfest.

Defending women's champion Serena Williams had a much easier time, serving 20 aces in a straight-sets win over Dominika Cibulkova that set up a fourth-round match-up with former champion Maria Sharapova.

The top-seeded Williams had at least two aces in each of her eight service games and overpowered the 46th-ranked Slovak 6-0, 7-5.

The second-seeded Nadal, who won the title in 2008, but missed last year's tournament due to tendinitis in his knees, called for the trainer four separate times for treatment on his left arm and right knee but never looked badly hurt.

"I hope I'll be fine," Nadal said afterward. "I don't know. I'm going to check. It's not a big problem. It's a long season for me. I have played a lot of matches the last few months."

Nadal said he will definitely play Monday's match against France's Paul-Henri Matthieu, who beat Thiemo de Bakker in four sets.

"I am here to try my best and to try to keep in the tournament," he said.

Nadal said his right knee has been bothering him for several months, and that he will skip Spain's Davis Cup quarter-final against France next month in order to get treatment.

Fourth-seeded Andy Murray followed Nadal on Centre Court and beat Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, keeping alive Britain's hopes for a first homegrown male champion since 1936.

Murray, who hasn't dropped a set so far, served 15 aces, conceded only 15 points on serve and did not face a single break point.

Third straight five-setter

The 33rd-seeded Petzschner, playing his third straight five-setter, also needed medical treatment for a recurring hip problem on several changeovers and looked exhausted in the final set against Nadal.

The German questioned Nadal's injury breaks.

"You have to ask him what it was. But I didn't feel any difference afterwards or before. I thought he was moving great. I only could say if I would be injured like this once I would be happy. I don't know. Maybe he had something. Maybe it was just a clever part to take a time-out there."

Nadal denied any gamesmanship.

"I never call the physio when I don't have nothing, not one time in my career," he said. "If I call the physio today, it was because it was bothering me a lot, the knee."

Nadal received a warning from chair umpire Cedric Mourier at 2-2 in the fifth set for receiving coaching from coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, who was sitting in the front row of the players' guest box. Rafael Nadal pointed angrily at the umpire, spread his arms wide and shouted at him before resuming play.

Nadal, who was stretched to five sets in the second round by Robin Haase, looked on the ropes for a while against the 26-year-old German. Petzschner served 25 aces and finished with 63 winners, compared to 56 for Nadal. But he also had 40 unforced errors, compared to 18 for the Spaniard.

Nadal faced only two break points and was broken just once, but went 1-11 on break points until converting his last three.

Williams, meanwhile, won 37 of 43 service points and held at love five times. She won 19 of her first 20 service points, with Cibulkova putting only four returns in play in that stretch.