LONDON (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal moved seamlessly from months of claycourt success to a satisfyingly smooth first-round victory on grass as he opened his Wimbledon campaign with a commanding 6-1 6-3 6-2 victory over Australian John Millman on Monday.
Nadal missed the traditional warm-up grass tournament at London's Queen's Club to look after his battered body in the wake of his victories at the French Open and in Madrid, Monte Carlo and Barcelona but immediately looked comfortable on the faster surface and displayed the full array of ground strokes that have earned him two Wimbledon titles.
Millman, who missed the first five months of the season with a groin injury, played his part in some entertaining rallies but fourth-seed Nadal, who missed last year's Wimbledon through injury and was playing his first grass tournament match for two years, was always on top.
The Spaniard really hit his stride in the final set once he had mastered his timing, smashing a series of blistering forehands that left Millman as much a spectator as those crammed into Number One Court, with Nadal wrapping up the victory in well under two hours.
(Editing by Ken Ferris)
