Nadal says shorts sparked rift with ref

Simmering feud takes spotlight away from Rafa's on-court dominance in opener

Rafael Nadal enjoyed a winning start to his campaign to claim a 10th French Open on Tuesday before admitting he had requested the removal of a respected umpire in a dispute over his shorts.

Nine-time French Open champion Nadal easily reached the second round with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over world No 296 Quentin Halys of France.