The world No.1, seeded two at Wimbledon, had lost his past three games on grass, going out in the first and second rounds at the All England Club in the past two years, as well as losing in the first round at Halle two weeks ago.
Klizan, 24, used his fizzing 100mph (160kph) forehand to play on Nadal's first-round jitters as he attempted to call an early halt to the Spaniard's tilt at a third French Open and Wimbledon double.
But after twice tumbling to the ground and scrambling to his feet to win points, Nadal began to find his grasscourt range and, with the sun-drenched crowd behind him, earned a second-round revenge match-up against his 2012 conqueror Lukas Rosol.
(Editing by David Goodman)
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