Rafael Nadal claimed the Stuttgart Open title
with an impressive straight sets win over Viktor Troicki.
The
Spaniard has shown signs of his usual dominance since switching to grass this
week and he continued his Wimbledon preparations with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory
over Troicki in Germany.
A
worrying slump of form has seen Nadal slip to No 10 in the world rankings and
his lengthy reign at the French Open was ended by a quarter-final defeat by
Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros.
But
he will have drawn plenty of confidence from securing only his second ATP title
this year, with Troicki unable to put a dent in the top seed’s serve.
Troicki
himself had yielded just three points on his own service games in the first
set, but was edged out in the tie-breaker as Nadal took a 1-0 lead with a
searing ace.
Into
the second set, Nadal tightened his grip on the match when Troicki gifted a
break with an over-hit forehand.
This
breakthrough was all that Nadal needed and he claimed the trophy for a third
time after a fierce overhead smash.
The
two-time Wimbledon champion ended a barren run on the surface, but insisted he
was not looking too far ahead to this year’s tournament at the All England
Club.
Nadal
said: “Since 2011, I didn’t play a final on grass, so finally to win a title
again after five years on grass is very good news for my game, for my mentality
too and at the same time is another title.”
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