Rafael Nadal [Images] sealed his reputation as the best clay-court player in the world by beating Argentina's Gaston Gaudio 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to win the final of the Mercedes Cup on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Spaniard's latest win made it eight titles from 10 tournaments on clay this season, including the French Open, extended his winning streak on sand to 34 matches and secured his place in the lucrative Masters Cup in Shanghai.

His performance in Stuttgart also took him up a place to number two in the world behind Roger Federer [Images] -- a position he is determined to defend over the remainder of the season.

"The most important thing for me now is to improve my game on hardcourts," Nadal said.

"I want to win a lot of matches on that surface, which is important for my ranking. Three of the four Grand Slams are on hard, fast surfaces.

"I want to finish the year in second place."

Federer is too far ahead in the rankings to even contemplate catching before the year is out and Nadal does not want to look any further ahead than that.

"Federer is unbelievable and it's impossible to overtake him this year," he said. "I don't want to set myself a goal for next season because every year is different.

"At the moment I'm playing well but you never know about next year. I just want to enjoy the present."

Nadal has plenty to celebrate after winning the tournament without dropping a set and being rewarded with a new car from the sponsors, as well as a cheque for over 100,000 euros.

"It shows that I was very focused all the way through," he said. "It's very special.

"If you watch me, you'll see I very rarely get angry, shout or throw down my racket when I lose a point. I concentrate on the positive and keep my concentration.

"I think that's good for me and the person I'm playing."