Nadal looks for Rome lift-off

ROME, May 12 (AFP): Rafael Nadal will continue his Roland Garros preparations with a final major tune-up at the Rome Masters, an event where he has been champion in four of the last five years.
The Spanish world number one proved that his game is heading back to its lethal best as won the Madrid title when Japan's Kei Nishikori quit trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 with back pain on Sunday.
After surprise quarter-final defeats on his favoured clay this spring in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal will be pleased to travel to Italy as a winner.