Nadal into Wimbledon Rosol rematch

Rafael Nadal came back from a set down to beat Martin Klizan, joining heavy hitters Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in Wimbledon's second round.

World No.1 Rafael Nadal

World No.1 Rafael Nadal has come back from a set down to reach the second round of Wimbledon. (AAP)

World number one Rafael Nadal has buried the misery of his 2013 Wimbledon first round exit to set up a rematch with Lukas Rosol, the Czech who condemned him to a humiliating second round loss in 2012.

Second seed Nadal, fresh from his ninth French Open triumph and bidding for a 15th Grand Slam title, became only the 11th man to record 700 tour wins as he beat Slovakia's world number 51 Martin Klizan, 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-3.

Also going through on Tuesday were fellow past champion and seven-time winner Roger Federer, and Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka.

Nadal, champion in 2008 and 2010, was knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon last year by Steve Darcis, a Belgian journeyman who hasn't won a match since.

Twelve months earlier, Rosol had stunned him in five sets, a shattering defeat which forced Nadal out of the sport for seven months to rest his battered knees.

"Rosol is a very dangerous player, very strong, very powerful shots from the baseline and I know I have to play very well if I want to have chances to win," said Nadal.

Federer began his campaign for an eighth title with a 6-1 6-1 6-3 victory over Paolo Lorenzi, the hapless Italian who has now lost all of his 13 Grand Slam matches.

Fourth-seeded Federer, the 17-time major winner, had lost to Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovksy in the second round 12 months ago for his earliest defeat at the tournament since 2002.

But there was never a hint of a repeat of that disaster on Tuesday as the 32-year-old Swiss took victory on a sixth match point having fired nine aces and 36 winners.

"It's always good to win the first round because the court can be slippery sometimes," said Federer, who goes on to face Luxembourg qualifier Gilles Muller.

Federer's compatriot, Wawrinka reached the second round with a first win at the tournament since 2011.

Wawrinka, the world number three but seeded five at the All England Club in a reflection of his grasscourt struggles, fired 18 aces and 39 winners in a 6-3 6-4 6-3 win over Portugal's Joao Sousa and next meets Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun.


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Nadal into Wimbledon Rosol rematch | SBS News