Rafael Nadal showed no signs of a back injury as he beat Serbia’s Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round at the Australian Open.
Nadal missed Spain’s ATP Cup matches last week and had earlier given himself little hope a recovery, but he was troubled by his opponent.
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“It has been a tough 15 days for me because I had some issues with the back so I needed to survive today and that’s what I did,” he said after the match.
“I just tried to be focused all the time, tried to get through. I think I did a good job today. Straight sets, that’s what I needed.
“Let’s go day by day. Today I was able to find a way to be through. That gives me the chance to have one more day tomorrow so it’s a work of every day to try to get ready. Of course it was not ideal preparation for me but I’m still alive. That’s the main thing.”
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Nadal had practised with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 17, on the weekend and the teenager also made it through to the second round with a 6-1 6-4 6-4 win against Botic Van De Zandschulp.