BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) — Rafael Nadal said every day was an adventure as his comeback from injury gathered pace with an aggressive 6-1, 6-2 drubbing of Australian Jason Kubler in the Brisbane International on Thursday.
Played in hot and humid conditions on Pat Rafter Arena, the Spanish great took one hour and 23 minutes to see off Kubler, who battled hard but didn’t have the weapons to trouble the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Nadal, 37, has not played on tour since suffering an injury at the 2023 Australian Open a year ago, resulting in two surgeries on his hip.
“Every day is an adventure,” he said of his comeback.
“I take every day as an opportunity, and tomorrow is another one.”
Nadal said leading into the tournament that he had no expectations for the Australian summer.
But the form he showed against former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the first round and now Kubler suggests he could be a real threat at the first Grand Slam of the year at Melbourne Park.
He raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set before Kubler got on the board, then broke the Australian’s opening game of the second to stamp his authority on the match.
“I started the match playing very well, with very good determination,” Nadal said.
“I tried to be aggressive from the baseline and I think it worked very well.”
“I think it was a very positive match for me. Two victories after a long time being outside the professional tour is something that makes me feel good.”
He said his body was holding up well after the two matches.
“The positive thing is that the first two matches haven’t been super long,” Nadal said.
“Of course, I had some feelings after the first match. I mean, I have been a year without playing with the tension of a real match, so I felt a little bit some muscles tired here and there.”
“In general terms, I felt good.”
The only real blemish for the Spaniard was a warning for a time violation for taking too long to return to court after a bathroom break at the end of the first set.
