Rafael Nadal downed Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-1 to reach the second round in Brisbane.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion produced a straight sets victory in his first singles match since his injury at last year’s Australian Open.
Next for Nadal will be Australian Jason Kubler, who defeated eighth seed Aslan Karatsev.
The victory was Nadal’s eleventh over Thiem and the Spaniard showed early signs why he was winning the head-to-head as he produced spectacular shot-making.
However Thiem had won their last two meetings and retaliated in this match with some good depth as well as comfortable backhands to test Nadal’s skillset from the baseline.
As the opening set went on, Nadal’s energy levels increased and so did his hunger as well as motivation as his movement and transitional play was slick.
Despite Nadal’s effective play on serve, there was no urgency on return until the twelfth game where he forced Thiem into uncomfortable position on the court.
On his fourth set point, Nadal sealed the set as Thiem fired a forehand into the open court behind the baseline as the Spaniard wrapped up a 56 minute set.
From then on, Thiem’s level significantly dropped while Nadal remained resilient and strong in his attacking play.
Two breaks of serve in the second and sixth games sealed victory and a place in the second round in Brisbane.
After the win Nadal admitted that the victory was one of the most emotional days of his career and thanked everyone for their support, “Today is an emotional and important day after one of the toughest years of my tennis career,” Nadal explained.
“I played at a very positive level for my first day [back] and that will make me, my team and my family feel proud – they have been there every single day during the last year.
“The support is super important. Especially in the low moments, no? I had the chance to receive thousands of messages all year. Having great people next to me every single day makes all the difference without a doubt.
“I missed being healthy & feeling competitive, playing in front of full crowds like this that have been amazing for my whole career in Australia.. I can’t thank enough everyone.”
An important feeling for Nadal to have after missing the sport for 12 months as he seeks a 23rd Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
Next up for the former world number one is Australian wildcard Jason Kubler.
