Rafael Nadal clinches first title on grass since Wimbledon in 2010
Spaniard beats Serb Viktor Troicki to win the Mercedes Cup
Rafael Nadal claimed his first title on grass since Wimbledon in 2010 when he beat Viktor Troicki 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to win the Mercedes Cup for the third time in Stuttgart on Sunday.
The top-seeded Spaniard ended the first set tiebreaker with an ace – his ninth. Nadal saved the only break point he faced.
I’m really, really happy. It’s my second win this year and it gives me a lot of confidence
Playing with evident confidence against the eighth-seeded Troicki, Nadal converted his first opportunity to go 3-1 up in the second set and he served out the win in one hour, 27 minutes.
“I’m really, really happy. It’s my second win this year and it gives me a lot of confidence,” said Nadal, after his 66th career victory and fourth on grass.
Nadal was made to work hard against Bernard Tomic and Marcos Baghdatis in the early rounds but improved as the tournament progressed and looks to be in good shape for Wimbledon.
“It was a great week for me,” Nadal said.