Video: Nadal Finding Form on Grass

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Video: Nadal Finding Form on Grass

Surprisingly, Rafael Nadal played some of his best tennis of 2015 on the green grass of Stuttgart last week. Well, maybe it’s not so surprising when you think about it. Nadal is a two-time Wimbledon champion and, despite some difficult losses on clay this season, the Spaniard has been steadily improving as the season has progressed. More important, Nadal has not stopped working, or believing that the work he is doing won’t someday pay off.

More: Nadal Claims Stuttgart Title, First in Five Years on Grass

Nadal’s hard yards paid off nicely this week in Germany, as the Spaniard convincingly won his first grass-court title in five years. The video above shows a very relaxed-looking Nadal, playing with poise and great feel for the ball. He appears to be committed to attacking the net and closing points early, and he seems to let his subconscious take over, just letting his reflexes and his intuition do the work, rather than overthinking.

The above highlight package shows Nadal knocking off volley after volley and setting up aggressive points with pinpoint locational serving and pretty aggressive court positioning. Rarely in these points is Nadal stuck behind the baseline. He takes the ball early and looks to step up to the baseline to conduct the points from an advantageous court position as often as he can.

On most occasions, it worked beautifully.

The big question: Can Nadal build on his Stuttgart success in Queen’s this week? His draw will be a lot tougher, but if he does, it will be a clear indication that Nadal’s clay struggles are behind him and he’s ready to be a threat on grass. Maybe playing with low expectations and a low seed feel like a breath of fresh air to Nadal this summer, rather than an ominous sign that the end is nigh?

Whatever the case, Nadal played some very clean, very instinctive ball this week in Stuttgart. He moved cat-like and precise, as if he was born with dimples on the soles of his shoes. After months of black clouds and blue moods, is the king of clay finally getting his groove back on grass?

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