It’s been eight years since the King of Clay conquered the grass lawns of the All England Club, but the buzz around Rafael Nadal seems different at this year's Wimbledon.

While those appearances in London were littered with early exits and injuries, Nadal seems to be in excellent health, with little talk of his knees or any other lingering injuries. His spring hardcourt hiatus and clay-court season dominance has done wonders for his Wimbledon chances—and his confidence.

On Tuesday, he began his title bid with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over Dudi Sela.

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"Good start, of course. Good result. Yeah, of course I did things very well, and other things that I have room to improve. But you are not at all times happy, of course?" Nadal said. "It's a good start for me, that's it."

To make matters better (or worse, for the players in his draw), the conditions the first week of Wimbledon—where Nadal has been so vulnerable before—are playing a little differently during the recent hot, sunny weather.

"I think the grass, on Wimbledon here, this year I see the grass a little bit longer than usual," Nadal said. "I don't know if because there is unbelievable weather and they are trying to protect the grass like this."

The grass is traditionally cut to precisely 8 mm, but without the usual summer rains, it's plausible that the court is playing differently, and even bouncing a little higher. Wimbledon's head groundsman Neil Stubley said the grass length is the same as always.

In his routine first-round victory over Sela, Nadal's confidence and comfort on the grass showed in a shot that may stand firmly as the shot of the tournament—no matter what transpires over the fortnight.

Nadal plays Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin in the second round.

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WATCH: Nadal
rips epic hot
shot at Wimbledon

WATCH: Nadal rips epic hot shot at Wimbledon

Strokes of Genius is a world-class documentary capturing the historic 13-year rivalry between tennis icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It is timed for release as the anticipation crests with Roger as returning champion, 10 years after their famed 2008 Wimbledon championship – an epic match so close and so reflective of their competitive balance that, in the end, the true winner was the sport itself.

WATCH: NOW AVAILABLE AT THE ITUNES STORE