Australian Open 2019

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has reached the second round of the Australian Open beating Australian wild-card entry James Duckworth.

Playing in his first match since September the Spaniard eased through 6-4, 6-3, 7-5. It was also his first match back on Rod Laver Arena since he had to retire in his quarterfinal match last year.

The 17-time major winner hasn't played since retiring from his semifinal at the U.S. Open because of a knee injury, and then had surgery on his right ankle in November.

Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning match point in his first round match against James Duckworth of Australia.
He withdrew from a warm-up tournament in Brisbane in the first week of the season because of a muscle strain in his thigh.

"Not easy to come back after a lot of months of competition, especially against a player playing super aggressive every shot," Nadal said. 

"It's very difficult to start after an injury. I know it very well. It's very special to be back."

He showed no signs of any issues against Duckworth. His only hiccup came when he served for the match in the ninth game of the third set and was broken at love. He returned the favour very quickly, though, to seal his spot in the second round.

Nadal has only lost twice in the first round at Grand Slams