Rafael Nadal exacts Fabio Fognini revenge in Hamburg final
Top seed Rafael Nadal won the Hamburg claycourt title on Sunday gaining a much-needed confidence boost after a slump in form, beating Italian eighth seed Fabio Fognini 7-5, 7-5.
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Hamburg: Top seed Rafael Nadal won the Hamburg claycourt title on Sunday gaining a much-needed confidence boost after a slump in form, beating Italian eighth seed Fabio Fognini 7-5, 7-5.
But he gained his revenge in the northern German city, recovering from being broken in the very first game of a tight opening set and eventually clinching the title on his first match point after more than two and a half hours on court.
Nadal has now won the Hamburg title twice after a previous success in 2008 -- his last appearance -- and has 47 claycourt titles.
"I had some cramps which wasn`t very pleasant," said 29-year-old Nadal.
"I lost the last two times against him, so I knew it was going to be a tough one.
"I think I had a great attitude the whole match, very positive, fighting for every ball. I had some tough moments on court, lost opportunities, but every time I came back and I kept fighting with the right mentality. I`m very happy for the victory. It is an important victory for me."
Nadal now heads for the United States hardcourt season with the US Open, the season`s last Grand Slam tournament, starting in New York on August 31.
It has been a tough year for the former world number one who lost his French Open title in June before seeing his world ranking slump to 10, his lowest in a decade.
"Now the hardcourt season is starting, it`s a different story," he said.
"But at the same time, I`ll keep going with the same mentality and this title helps to be a little bit more calm and add some points to my ranking to try to finish the year in the top eight again."