Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Rafael Nadal is pleased to again feel in flowing form as the 2005 champion at the Montreal Masters returns to the scene of the first hardcourt victory of his career a decade ago. “I feel lucky for all the thing that have happened over these past 10 years,” the winner of 67 career trophies said prior to his start in the second round against the winner from Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky and Canadian wild card Filip Peliwo.

“I’ve enjoyed a lot of great moments and some small bad moments, it’s been a fantastic 10 years for me,” said the nine-time French Open champion, now ninth in the world after another injury spell during the second half of 2014. Nadal owns three titles in Canada, following up his initial breakthrough with trophies in 2008 and 2013.

The 29-year-old brings confidence from a title last week in Hamburg on clay onto the North American hardcourts, where he will prepare for the August 31 start of the US Open this week in Canada and next week in the heat of Cincinnati in the US Midwest. “It’s great to be back at the first event I won on cement in my career. I have positive feelings that stay in my memory,” he said.

Nadal said that while he knows his career is closer to the end than the beginning, he is not thinking about anything but his normal working routine. The Spaniard takes the seventh seeding at an event missing world No. 2 Roger Federer – resting for Cincinnati and New York – with the field headed by No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

The Serb will be playing for the first time since beating Federer in the Wimbledon final a month ago. Andy Murray takes the second seeding ahead of French Open winner Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland. All of the leading eight seeds get first-round byes, with Nadal helped by the withdrawal last week of compatriot David Ferrer due to injury.

The often injured Nadal pronounced his current fitness “great.”

“In 2015 I’ve been very healthy, 2014 was a tough year, especially the second half. I’ve had some important injuries and had to stop playing for several periods. I’ve lost some matches that I should have won this year, but I still have positive feelings.

“I’m here with zero points in the computer (last half of 2014). That’s why I’m ninth in the world. I felt that my mental side was up and down this season. But in Hamburg I was mentally stable all week. I’m working well now.”

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.