World number one Rafael Nadal has revealed that he felt "a little bit" of pain in his back during his victory in the third round of the French Open this afternoon.

Nadal continued his defence of the title at Roland Garros with a straight-sets victory over Leonardo Mayer today, during which he wore strapping to help ease his back troubles.

The Spaniard, who is an eight-time champion at the French Open, first suffered the injury in the Australian Open final against Stanislas Wawrinka in January, but he is hopeful that it won't become too much of a concern in Paris.

"I felt a little bit my back, so that's why I slowed down a little bit the serve. I felt it a little bit from the beginning [of the tournament]," Nadal told reporters.

"In the second match I was not serving that fast, too. I had the problem in Australia. It's real. That's the real thing. But hopefully [it is] not [a concern]."

Nadal will face Serbian youngster Dusan Lajovic in the last 16.