Rafael Nadal follows up French Open triumph with easy win on Queen’s Club grass

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Nadal cruises to victory on grass at Queen’s Club

LONDON — French Open champion Rafael Nadal made a smooth adjustment from clay to grass Wednesday, defeating Marcos Daniel in straight sets to reach the third round of the Queen’s Club tournament.

The top-seeded Nadal, who captured his fifth Roland Garros title on Sunday, began his Wimbledon preparations with a 6-2, 6-2 victory under rainy London skies.

The Spaniard, who had a bye in the first round, was joined in the last 16 by second-seeded Novak Djokovic, who beat Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-3, and Sam Querrey, who knocked out fellow American Robby Ginepri 7-6 (4), 6-2.

It was Nadal’s first match on grass since his epic five-set win over Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final. Nadal missed the grass-court season last year with knee problems.

Nadal, who beat Robin Soderling in the French Open final Sunday to supplant Federer at No. 1 in the rankings, looked comfortable on the grass against his 112th-ranked Brazilian opponent.

“It’s difficult to adapt but I am happy to be back on grass, it is one of the surfaces I enjoy playing on,” said Nadal, who faces Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin in the third round.

Play was stopped by light rain with Nadal leading 2-1 in the second set, and he signed autographs as he left the court. When play resumed after a 14-minute delay, Nadal broke at love to lead 4-2 when Daniel made a forehand error.

Nadal said he needs a few more matches to feel comfortable on grass.

“After having the good results on grass … I start to believe I can play well on this surface,” Nadal said. “So that makes me feel a little bit better mentally when I come back here. But at the same time, I need the time because I have to adapt, and that needs more days.”