Rafael Nadal vs. Thomaz Bellucci: Score and Reaction from 2015 Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal beat Thomaz Bellucci in a relatively straightforward but uninspiring 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory Tuesday at Wimbledon.  

Nadal kicked off the day's first match on Court 1 against the world No. 42, whom he had beaten on four of four occasions prior to the clash. But Nadal often struggled for rhythm as Bellucci made him work for the victory.

BBC Sport confirmed the first-round result:

As ESPN Tennis notes, the two-time Wimbledon winner (2008, 2010) has endured a torrid time at the All England Club in recent years, and he is hoping once again to have a positive impact on the tournament:

"

#Nadal looks to turn around recent #Wimbledon woes. In 2014 he came into the tourney as World No.1, now just No.10. pic.twitter.com/iYEms7uLhg

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) June 30, 2015"

Nadal's recent difficulties at SW19 may have contributed to some early nerves for the Spaniard, who produced a first set of ups and downs.

In his first service game, Nadal needed to save two break points as some loose forehands allowed Bellucci to race to a 15-40 lead, while in his second, he began with a double-fault.

Nevertheless, the set went with serve until Nadal broke Bellucci to go 3-2 up, ruthlessly taking the break point with a powerful two-handed drive past his opponent on the left.

The 29-year-old Spaniard then enjoyed his best spell of the first set, winning the next two games with ease to serve for the set.

Nerves appeared to creep in, however. And a combination of unforced errors, another double-fault and some exquisite flashes of quality from Bellucci saw the Brazilian race back into contention at 5-4.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

The world No. 10 successfully served for the set this time, but it was plain to see he looked rusty, perhaps as a result of his early exit at the Queens Club Championships.

Nadal improved in the second set, however, breaking Bellucci in the opening game and racing to a 5-1 lead.

The 14-time Grand Slam winner continued to commit double-faults and unforced errors. But despite a spirited performance from Bellucci, the 27-year-old could not punish Nadal's occasionally errant play.

A fourth double-fault and another unforced error in the final game went unpunished, and Nadal closed out the set thanks to another excellent two-handed passing shot and a wild effort from Bellucci that saw the ball fly at the umpire and his racket soar in the opposite direction.

The Twitter account Rafael Nadal Fans handily captured the BBC's summary of the second set:

Bellucci hinted at a comeback in the third set as he took a 2-0 lead with some strong serving and more sloppy play from Nadal, whose double-fault gifted the Brazilian his break point.

The Spaniard roared back into the set with his best form of the match, winning four games in a row. For the most part, he looked like the Nadal of old, powering his shots into the corners with the kind of confidence and accuracy he struggled to muster earlier on.

Bellucci fought hard to hold off a break point to make the set 4-3, and some excellent serve-and-volley play brought the game to 5-4 to force Nadal to serve for the match.

Despite a few more uncharacteristic errors, Nadal won the final game to advance to the second round.

As the New York Times' Ben Rothenberg notes, the Spaniard will face qualifier Dustin Brown in his next match, against whom he has a score to settle:

And despite the mistakes, Rothenberg also points out that things are looking up for Nadal at the event:

"

Rafael Nadal makes nice work of Thomaz Bellucci, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. The most settled he's looked in a #Wimbledon opener in years.

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 30, 2015"

However, Nadal was far from his scintillating best here, and a potential upset is on the cards if Brown can repeat his performance from 2014.

The Spaniard will be relieved enough to have progressed and occasionally showed glimpses of his immense quality. But ahead of the match with Brown and a potential quarter-final showdown with Andy Murray, he will need to work on his serve and strive to cut the unforced errors from his game.