Rafael Nadal said winning his third Mercedes Cup title with a 7-6 (3) 6-3 success over Viktor Troicki on Sunday was “very good news for my game and for my mentality”.
The top seed banked 250 Emirates ATP ranking points when clinching his first title on grass since Wimbledon in 2010 and it went some way to atoning for his quarter-final exit at the recent French Open to world number one and eventual finalist, Novak Djokovic.
The 29-year-old, who hit 11 aces in his victory over the Serb, now has 66 career titles, four on grass, and won the same event in Stuttgart in 2005 and 2007 when it was a clay-court tournament.
It was also the Spaniard’s second title on the ATP World Tour this year, having emerged victorious on the clay of Buenos Aires.
“It’s a very special title,” said Nadal. “Since 2011 I didn’t play a final on grass, so to win a title here is very good news for my game and for my mentality too. Congrats to Viktor for a great tournament. He’s playing great and will have some positives for the week.
“At this point of the season, every victory is important and every title means a lot to me. I’m happy for that… thank you very much for all the support here in Stuttgart.”
The 14-time Grand Slam winner slumped to a 10-year low of 10th in the men’s world rankings earlier in the month and is next scheduled to play at Queen’s, where he has been drawn against Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov in the first round, before Wimbledon begins on June 29.
The world number 28 Troicki was bidding to claim his third ATP World Tour title in his seventh final and said there was no shame in his defeat to Nadal.
He told reporters: “It’s a good result. I’m now going to London and we’ll see. I have high expectations for the grass season and this gives me a lot of confidence.”
Rafael Nadal is currently priced 1.20 in the Queen’s match betting and Dolgopolov is available to back at 4.20.
Leave a comment
Link Dafabet