Rafael Nadal gave his confidence a welcome boost on Sunday after battling past a spirited challenge from Fabio Fognini in straight sets to lift the Hamburg Open title.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion overcame Italian Fognini 7-5, 7-5 in a thrilling summit clash that lasted two hours and 34 minutes.
Nadal, the former world number one, has been struggling with form lately and has slumped to 10th in the rankings.
With the win, Nadal claimed his third title of the year and also took a sweet revenge over eighth seed Fognini, who had beaten the Spaniard twice this season on clay.
