Defending champion Nadal - nicknamed the 'King of Clay' due his
nine French Open titles and complete dominance of the surface over the
past decade - had no answer to British number one Murray, whose
variation and shot selection was a key factor in keeping a misfiring
Nadal guessing throughout the match.
It was a major shock with Murray having failed to down the
Mallorcan in six previous matches on the surface since their first
meeting on clay in Hamburg in 2008.
"I'd like to thank everyone who came out to support us today,"
said Murray. "To play Rafa in Spain is extremely tough, but this is the
reason why we play tennis.
"To beat Rafa on clay is tough, but I'm glad I managed to do it
today. I'd like to thank my team for getting me in good shape for the
clay court season.
"Finally to Rafa, I'm sure in a couple of weeks you will be back
playing your best tennis before Roland Garros (French Open). I'm sure
we will play many more matches in the future."
Nadal has won the Madrid title four times, and conceded he had been beaten by the better man on the day.
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