Rafael Nadal claimed his first title on grass since 2010 on Sunday, as he defeated Victor Troicki in the final of the Mercedes Cup.
The Spaniard, who was recently knocked out in the quarter-finals of the French Open, got his preparations for Wimbledon off to the perfect start by claiming a 7-6 6-3 victory in Stuttgart.
After a tense first set, where neither player could earn a break of serve, the Spaniard took the lead courtesy of 7-3 win in a tie break.
The second set continued along the same vein before Nadal earned the match’s only break in the fourth game, which allowed him to relax and hold on for the title.
Having fallen to 10th in the world rankings at the start of the week, the 29-year-old was pleased to prove some of his doubters wrong by winning in Germany and he believes he is now on the right path towards success as he continues his preparations for SW19.
“I’ve been feeling my game better since after my first match in Monte Carlo (mid-April),” Nadal said. “It was mentally tiring for me to play tennis in the first part of the year. I was not feeling comfortable on court.
“I was not able to play the way that I wanted. I didn’t feel confidence. But that has been changing and my focus now if to prepare as best as I can for Wimbledon.”