Rafael Nadal has revealed that he is feeling "more confident" than he did at the start of the season following his straight-sets win in the first round at Wimbledon.
The two-time champion, who is seeded 10th for this year's tournament, eased past Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci yesterday, setting up a second-round meeting with Dustin Brown.
The Spaniard told the Grand Slam event's website: "I am a little bit more confident than I was a few months ago. For the first three-and-a-half months of the season I was playing bad. I lost more matches than usual that I should have won. But the last two months I have been more consistent, more solid in general, and that's something I am pleased with.
"I am seeded number 10 here because I deserve to be. That's what happens with one-year rankings when you are injured for six months and come back and are not able to play great. When that happens, number 10 is a great number. But I am going to work hard to be higher."
Nadal has not made it past round four at SW19 since 2011.
Sian Cowper
