Internet Desk: Rafael Nadal cruises past Florian Mayer in comfortable first-round win. Perhaps he’s solar-powered. As the sun beat down on Rod Laver Arena, Rafael Nadal scorched a path to the Australian Open second round with a 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory over Germany’s Florian Mayer.
As temperatures around Melbourne Park rose into the mid-30s, the Spaniard turned up the heat at Rod Laver Arena. The 2009 champion confined last year’s first-round exit to history in spectacular fashion with an exhilarating display over two hours and four minutes.
Nadal, seeded No.9 at his 12th Australian Open, arrived in Melbourne fully fit for the first time since the early stages of last season. No longer troubled by a lingering wrist injury, the 30-year-old showcased some of his finest tennis against his wily opponent.
“The body is good,” Nadal said.
“And that’s the key. If the body is not good, everything is more difficult. After Roland Garros everything was more difficult [last year], but that’s in the past.”
Actions mirrored Nadal’s words. Mayer’s game is, to put it mildly, unorthodox – the 33-year-old hits a flat ball, has a fine net game and is one of the few professionals to throw in forehand slices mid-rally, disguising deep cuts as drop shots to wrong-foot his opponents. But even with every trick in the book at his disposal, he was second-best throughout a sterling performance from the former world No.1.
When Nadal’s forehand is firing, the rest of his game follows. Dotted among the 39 winners were moments that spoke volumes about the 30-year-old’s form and confidence – the curling forehand pass that found the corner of the court and a lunging backhand volley winner in the second set, then the hat-trick of aces early in the third.
Up next for Nadal is 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis, who advanced after Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny retired while trailing 6-3 3-0. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head 8-1.