Internazionali BNL D'Italia 2012: Nadal's Easy Ride Proves Madrid Was a Fluke

One might have thought it would be difficult for Rafael Nadal to bounce back from his surprise ouster in the Madrid Open after just one week, but he did it with ease in his opening match at the Rome Masters. 

After defeating Florian Mayer 6-1, 7-5 in the second round of action on Wednesday, Nadal proved three things: He's still the best as long as the clay is not blue, Madrid was a fluke and he's still deserving of the world No. 2 ranking. 

Much was made of Nadal's ouster at the hands of Fernando Verdasco (who already made his exit in the second round in Rome after falling to David Ferrer) a week ago, but unsurprisingly, very little of it had to do with his skills as a tennis player. He—and nearly everyone else who cares—blamed his loss on the slippery blue courts that replaced the traditional red clay Nadal is accustomed to dominating on.

There wasn't much else to explain why Nadal lost to a guy he'd beaten 13 straight times before, or why he'd lost for the first time in 14 matches at a tournament in which he's been historically excellent.

Nadal didn't do the smart thing leading up to the Madrid Open, when he wouldn't stop talking about the courts and their potentially detrimental effect on the top players. But his performance on Wednesday said everything that already came out of his mouth last week: He's still the best, as long as the court surface isn't messing with his focus.

The match against Mayer wasn't easy, even considering Nadal's history of success in Rome, where he's a five-time champion. The only time he's faced Mayer in the past—last year in Shanghai—he lost.

After the win, he told FoxNews.com: 

"

Today it was an important first set and I played aggressive. I felt good in the forehand. It's difficult to play against Mayer because he knows how to put you in a difficult position in the game, but I didn't suffer I think. 

"

On Wednesday, he compensated for that loss while simultaneously compensating for his disastrous performance last week. He didn't let himself spiral out of control. He proved, with his performance alone, that the blue courts at Madrid were a bad idea and he still deserves to be No. 2. 

The only way he could prove it any more conclusively is by winning it all in Rome.