MELBOURNE (Reuters) – A ruthless Rafa Nadal preserved his creaky knees for tougher tests down the road by routing Dominican journeyman Victor Estrella Burgos 6-1 6-1 6-1 to sail into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.
Playing his first competitive match since pulling out of the ATP Tour Finals with knee trouble in November, the world number one showed no signs of early season rust as he tore through the evening match at Rod Laver Arena in one hour and 34 minutes.
“Happy for the start, of course,” Nadal, who lost last year’s final in a five-set classic to Roger Federer, told reporters.
”It’s a positive start with a good result. If I do months without playing an official match, it’s always a little bit more difficult.
Highlights: Australian Open day one
Having warmly embraced Estrella Burgos after sealing the one-sided win, Nadal said he could not afford to underestimate any opponent.
“I believe that the doubts are good because when you have doubts, it’s because you aren’t too arrogant, because you have respect for your opponent, because you have respect for the game and because you don’t consider yourself unbelievably good,” he said.
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