STUTTGART, June 14, 2015
Rafael Nadal is Stuttgart’s first Mercedes Cup champion on grass. The tournament’s top-seed defeated Viktor Troicki in the final, winning 7-6, 6-3.
Nadal won 86% of his first service points and saved the only break point he had to face. The 29-year-old Spaniard, gained the decisive break in the fourth game of the second set to seal victory in one hour and 26 minutes.
Rafael Nadal and Viktor Troicki met for the fifth time on the tour, the Spaniard also won all four previous encounters
“Today I had some good points in the tie-break of the first set and I capitalized on my chance in the second. If your serve is good, you can win on grass even without playing your best. During the entire week my service worked well, especially in the important moments. This gave me the advantage in certain moments. That’s what helps to feel better on the court. In general, it has been a positive week for me,” Nadal was satisfied with his performance.
“It is an important week for me, claiming a title on grass after a long time. My knees are healthy and I am able to play good tennis the last couple of months. I am very happy to be back with the trophy in my hands. That’s confidence and extra energy,” Nadal told after lifting his first trophy on grass since winning in Wimbledon in 2010 and added that he is leaving for Queens on tonight. “I am not talking about Wimbledon right now. I am hoping for another good week in Queens now.”
Nadal captured his 66th career title, his second of the season following his triumph in Buenos Aires in February. The world number ten received not only a prize money of € 104,600 but also 250 ATP ranking points as well as a brand new Mercedes AMG GTS.
Rafael Nadal with Viktor Troicki
Rafael Nadal claimed the title in Stuttgart for the third time (2005, 2007, 2015)
Rafael Nadal with the ballkids in front of his new Mercedes
“It’s a great car. It’s an extra value for the players getting such a beautiful car. Nonetheless, I have KIA in my heart. They have sponsored me since I am 17-years-old and we will have five more wonderful years,” Nadal told with a smile and added. “I also need to change the colour. That is too much for me,” he laughed.
Troicki told on court that his heart has been broken not receiving the Mercedes. Tennis TourTalk spoke with the finalist:
Rohan Bopanna and Florian Mergea captured their second ATP team title, winning the doubles final against Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 5-7, 6-2, 10-7 in 71 minutes. The Indian-Romanian-team also lifted the trophies at the Masters 1000 event in Madrid.
Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea
The winners spoke to Barbara Schett right after the final:
Earlier the day the final news conference took place, in which the tournament’s organizers concluded positively.
Edwin Weindorfer, Jörg Howe, Mark Darby (from left)
“The short version is: Our decision to switch surface from clay to grass was the right one. The atmosphere is very positive and the tournament is widely accepted by the fans and it has become a social event,” told Jörg Howe, Mercedes-Benz’s communication director.
The ATP was also pleased with the inaugural grass court event and that they couldn’t expect any better. On-court ATP supervisor Mark Darby told the media representatives that the players also praised the quality of the courts:
“For the last four days of the week, the tickets have been sold out. 53,800 spectators attended the tournament during the week. This is a new record for us,” announced tournament director Edwin Weindorfer, who has organized the event in Stuttgart since 2007.
“Of course, it is not possible to pay a player like Rafael Nadal only with sold tickets but it is our intention to have a strategic partnership with him. There is no other player, who characterized this event like him. He is a two-time champion and we are positive that he will return to Stuttgart next year. I think that every player ranked between 10 and 30 wants to play this event. Our goal is to present at least three top ten-players next year,” Weindorfer said and only has to solve one problem in the future. “We will need more strawberries and cream as well as Pimms to create the perfect Wimbledon feeling,” he smiled and is looking forward to the next grass court edition in 2016.
