Rafael Nadal starts his Monte Carlo campaign with a ruthless win over Lucas Pouille

Rafael Nadal marked his return to the clay courts with a dominant win over Lucas Pouille in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

The Spaniard has been searching for form after a difficult start to the year, but his confidence would have been boosted by a ruthless 6-2 6-1 win over the Frenchman on his favourite surface.
With Nadal pushing for an early break, Pouille resisted in impressive fashion as he thundered down a smash to protect serve.
But the Mallorca man, free from his fitness problems, continued to bludgeon his opponent to the back of the court and a loose lob handed him an early break.