Nadal shrugs off sore back to win Rio opener
Rafael Nadal showed no signs of back trouble in a 6-3, 7-5 first-round win over Daniel GimenoTraver in Rio de Janeiro.
Nadal, the world number one, struggled with the problem during his Australian Open final defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka but seemed fully fit as he ousted his fellow Spaniard in straight sets.
“Daniel is a specialist on clay, so for me it was a great match after so much time off after the final in Australia because of the back problems,” Nadal said.
“I practiced very little. So I was happy to get back, and get back with a victory.”
Next up for Nadal is another Spaniard, Albert Montanes, who beat Dutchman Robin Haase 6-1 7-6(4).
The event in Brazil boasts many of the world’s best clay-court players, with second seed David Ferrer also progressing with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
But Nadal is undoubtedly the main draw, with third seed Fabio Fognini paying tribute following his topsy-turvy 7-6, 0-6, 6-1 victory over Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene.
“For Rio, for the Brazilian people, for everybody it’s nice because he’s No. 1 in the world,” the Italian said. “For the tournament, especially because it’s the first year, I think it will help.”
The only real surprises of the first round were defeats for fifth and sixth-seeded Spaniards Nicolas Almagro and Marcel Granollers, who went down in three sets to Alexandr Dolgopolov and Joao Sousa.