Melbourne: Facing a break point late in the third set, Rafael Nadal sprinted to his left. He then hit a running, around-the-post forehand that landed just inside the line. It showed the intent with which Rafael Nadal wants to play. The lingering back soreness that bothered the 20-time Major champion ahead of the Australian Open wasn’t going to stop him from finishing his first-round match as quickly as he could.
Laslo Djere, ranked 56th, shrugged, his head dropped and he no doubt wondered what more he needed to do to win a point. He had three breakpoints when Nadal was serving for the second set. Djere didn’t get close to cashing in one. Nadal finished off the match 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 winning in just under two hours in his first competitive match in months
“My back is not perfect, as I said a couple of days ago,” Nadal said. “Every day that I’m able to go through, probably there are more chances to get better. That’s the thing now — there is always a chance to improve, and that’s why I’m here playing and fighting to try to get better and then give myself a chance,” the Spaniard added.
Nadal will next play American qualifier Michael Mmoh, who outlasted Viktor Troicki 7-6(7-3), 6-7(3-7) 3-6, 7-6(7-3), 7-5.
Fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev extended his winning streak to 15 matches with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Vasek Pospisil and seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev beat Yannick Hanfmann 6-3 6-3 6-4.
In the women’s segment top-ranked Ash Barty dominated in her first Grand Slam match in more than a year, dropping only 10 points in a 6-0, 6-0 rout of Danka Kovinic. However, Sofia Kenin struggled with nerves in her first match as a defending champion at a Grand Slam tournament before beating 133rd-ranked wild-card entry Maddison Inglis 7-5, 6-4.
Barty lost to Kenin in the semifinals last year and then skipped the US Open and her title defense at the French Open. She never left Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After her 44-minute opener on Rod Laver Arena, Barty said she’d missed tennis ‘every single day’ during her time away from the sport. “The competitor in me missed what this is all about,” she said. “Coming out here and really enjoying the thrill of the fight,” she added.
Garbiñe Muguruza, the Australian Open runner-up last year, defeated Margarita Gasparyan 6-4, 6-0.
