After a disappointing 2015 French Open campaign where he saw his nine-year streak closed with an end, Rafael Nadal once again sets foot on the tennis court. He had his first match at the Mercedes Cup as a part of his preparation for the upcoming Wimbledon.
Nadal had a tough opening match wherein he faced Marcos Baghdatis to reach the quarterfinals in Stuttgart. He was able to clinch the first set by fighting back from a break down, while he controlled the third set by breaking twice. The Spaniard finished the clash with a 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-2 victory in two hours and 40 minutes.
"It was a little bit of a strange match," said Nadal. "I’m happy to be through. It’s an important victory for me. The first match on grass is always very difficult... At the beginning I didn't play my best, but I finished the match much better than how I started."
The current No. 10 is playing in Stuttgart for the first time since he won the tournament in 2007 when it was still a clay court beating Stan Wawrinka. He also claimed the title in 2005 after defeating Gaston Gaudio.
The 29-year old will be facing Bernard Tomic,who just reached his seventh ATP World Tour quarterfinal of the season after claiming a win over Tommy Haas 7-6(6), 6-2.
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