The switch from clay to grass did not go according to plan for Rafa Nadal yesterday and the Spaniard was jettisoned from the Gerry Webber Open with a 6-4 6-1 second-round defeat by maverick German Dustin Brown.

A player who is almost unbeatable on clay, having won the French Open in nine of the past 10 years, proved to be more vulnerable on grass. He has now lost his last three matches on the slicker surface dating back to 2012.

Instead of chalking up his 700th tour win with victory over Brown, Nadal suffered a setback in his hopes of getting some much needed grasscourt practice before he heads to Wimbledon.

Roger Federer was not immune to grasscourt jitters either. The Swiss began his first match on the lush green surface this year with a 6-7(8) 6-4 6-2 win over Joao Sousa.

The seven-times Wimbledon champion owns more grasscourt titles (13) than any other player since tennis turned professional in 1968 but that expertise could not prevent him from dropping the first set against an opponent who has no proven track record on the surface.

But Federer ran out a comfortable victor after easily winning the next two sets.