Rafael Nadal’s stumble on clay cushioned on Stuttgart’s grass with Mercedes Cup

The Spaniard had struck his familiar winning pose only once before this year, at Buenos Aires on March 1. He could reach only one final in the following seven tournaments and slipped to No 10 in the world rankings.

Spain's Rafael Nadal poses with the Mercedes Cup trophy, his second piece of silverware this year. Thomas Kienzle / AFP

The relief on Rafael Nadal’s face was obvious as he leaned against the sponsor’s glitzy V8 sports car, smiled and took a bite of the crystal trophy for the cameras.

The Spaniard had struck his familiar winning pose only once before this year, at Buenos Aires on March 1, and had endured a miserable time since.

He could reach only one final in the following seven tournaments and slipped to No 10 in the world rankings.

Nadal’s troubles looked more pronounced during the European clay-court season as, for the first time since 2005, he failed to win a single tournament during this swing.

He looked a shadow of his formidable self, limping from one underwhelming performance to another.

It was a rough patch and Nadal conceded he was struggling with his confidence and choking at crucial times. The burden of defending 3,870 points during the European clay-court swing, and his peerless reputation on the surface, only added to the pressure.

But seemingly free of those burdens, he made his way back to the winner’s enclosure, cruising to his first grass-court title since Wimbledon 2010.

Stuttgart, then, could prove to be the turning point in the 29-year-old Spaniard’s season.

Having missed most of the post-French Open season in 2014 because of a wrist injury and appendicitis, Nadal is defending a mere 370 points during this period.

He has already collected 250 points at Stuttgart, so he can only go up the rankings from here.

More importantly, Nadal can now play freely. The “King of Clay” is probably no more, but you cannot keep “El Matador” down for long.

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