Rafael Nadal won the opening match at the Australian Open with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Ricardas Berankis 6-2, 7-5 on Thursday in a warm-up tournament at Melbourne Park.

Although recovering from COVID 19, he showed no signs of fatigue and sluggishness. “It’s only the first match after a while. Honestly, I have been going through some difficult, challenging moments the past year-and-a-half, but in general terms I am super happy to be back in competition.” said Nadal.

Previously, former French Open champion Iga Swiatek advanced to the Adelaide International quarterfinals with a surprisingly easy 6-1, 6-2 win over 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez.