Rafa Nadal began his quest for ATP World Tour Finals glory with a convincing 6-3 6-2 triumph over a subdued Stan Wawrinka in London.
The Spaniard was in fine form, gobbling up his opponent’s serve at every opportunity, but he was equally abetted by Wawrinka’s topsy-turvy groundstokes.
A bizarre opening to the encounter saw nine consecutive points go against serve as both players secured early breaks to love, before Nadal belatedly ended the unwanted rot.
A cagy first set ensued, but when Nadal broke again in a sapping eighth game, his rival began to wilt.
Wawrinka saved an astonishing seven break points as the second set began with a flurry of high-tempo points, but that hold was a rare highlight in a one-sided episode.
Nadal soon consolidated a double break and simply watched as his opponent imploded – each glorious winner overshadowed by an army of wild unforced errors.
"It's very important for my confidence," Nadal, who was absent last year after undergoing surgery to remove his appendix, said on court.
"I've been playing better the last couple of months, it's great to start in this way in the last tournament of the season.
"The last couple of weeks I have been playing well. The season has been not the best possible but I keep having the same motivation, the same spirit to keep improving my tennis and that's what I'm doing.
"I'm trying my best in every single practice, I just keep going. I hope to finish the year in good form."
The Spaniard meets Andy Murray in Group Ilie Nastase on Wednesday, with Wawrinka scheduled to face David Ferrer next.
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