'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Rafael Nadal beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to move to the second round at Wimbledon.
Nadal. who lost to Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Roland Garros won his first grass court tournament in five years at Stuttgart. The Spaniard is seeded No. 10, his lowest in a decade due to his poor run of form this season.
The 2-time champion was in his groove right from the start as he dominated rallies from the baseline. Bellucci had never taken a set off Nadal in his four previous meetings and it looked like it would remain the same when the Spaniard wrapped up the set in 43 minutes. Nadal won 80% of the points when he came to the net in the first set.
Nadal won 80% of points off his first serve in the second serve and broke the Brazilian’s serve twice to lead by two sets to love in the sweltering heat on court 1.
Bellucci tried to hang in the third set, but Nadal broke the Brazilian’s serve in the fifth game with superb forehand crosscourt winners. Nadal finished the match with a inside-out forehand which Bellucci hit back into the net.
Nadal will play Germany’s Dustin Brown, who beat Yen-Hsun Lu 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in the first round. Brown beat Nadal at Halle last year.
“You cannot change your basic style – or it is not good to do that,” Nadal told the Guardian. “What you need is to improve all the time, the things that you are good at and the things you are not so good at. Over the years, you lose things in your tennis. If you are not as quick as before, you have to bring something else. That is why for 10, 11 years of my career I have been in a very high position of the rankings – and winning.
“I am working on the same things as always. I know this year I am not playing that well, but I cannot change many things. It’s just a little bit more confidence, play a bit better. With motivation, with work, I am gonna come back, I am sure of it.”
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
