Nadal practices in rain at Queen's

London : Rafael Nadal's preparations for his campaign at Queen's have begun with a surprise 20-minute practice session in the rain.

Nadal arrived in London on Monday, barely 24 hours after winning the French Open for the fifth time to regain his No. 1 spot in the rankings from archrival Roger Federer.

Much to the surprise of the groundsmen at Queen's, the Spanish player requested to play a practice session even though rain, which brought an early end to the first day's play at the pre-Wimbledon tournament, was falling.

Nadal said: "I know it's not the best for the court, but for me it was very important to make contact with the new (grass) surface."

Nadal will play doubles with Marc Lopez on Tuesday before opening his singles campaign on Wednesday.