Rafael Nadal was in fine form as he recorded a straight-sets win over Florian Mayer in the Australian Open first round.
The Spaniard, whose 2016 was hampered by a wrist injury, had few problems against German Mayer in a 6-3 6-4 6-4 win in hot conditions in Melbourne on Tuesday.
While he only broke once in each set at Rod Laver Arena, Nadal – who lost in the first round last year – was untroubled by Mayer.
Seeded ninth, 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal lost just 16 points on his serve, allowing him to attack Mayer frequently. He raced into a 4-1 lead in the first set but had to wait until the ninth game of the second to secure a break.
The warm weather appeared to be taking its toll on Mayer, yet the World No. 49 continued to fight in the third. However, his resistance was broken in the ninth game again, a Nadal forehand proving unreturnable.
As had been the case throughout, Nadal managed his service game with ease to close out victory in two hours, four minutes.
Next up for Nadal is Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, a player he has beaten in eight of their nine matches.
ACES
Nadal – 6
Mayer – 7
BREAK POINTS WON
Nadal – 3/12
Mayer – 0/0
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Nadal – 70
Mayer – 65
PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Nadal – 77/83
Mayer – 62/61
TOTAL POINTS
Nadal – 99
Mayer – 79
Comments
SHARE